COP30 kicks off with donor nations served with ‘invoice’ for climate finance

The opening statements delivered at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on Monday, 10 November, serve as a declaration that the global climate response is moving into a new era defined by implementation and accountability.

Collectively, the opening addresses set the stage for the first full implementation cycle of the Paris Agreement, a moment that demands delivery, not debate. Leaders have labelled this gathering the “COP of implementation” and the “COP of truth.” The core message is that the world must now move much faster on reducing emissions and strengthening resilience.

The primary focus is the delivery of climate finance, which has been positioned as a litmus test for the multilateral system — now it’s up to the delegates to deliver this (and pay up).

Below are some of the opening statements from the COP30 opening ceremony on 10 November.

COP29 president, Mukhtar Babayev  

Every year, we face challenges, and COP29 in Baku was no different. Our region understood the need for action because we face many environmental crises, from the shrinking Caspian Sea to melting glaciers and creeping deserts. So we needed to unite for a common purpose. And we needed to make multilateralism work.

We were proud to play the role of honest broker, pushing for the highest possible ambition. We invested in many new friendships. Our president told us that we have a moral duty to support SIDS [small island developing states] and LDCs [least developed countries]. So, we made sure that communities on the frontlines of the crisis were at the centre of our work. And in the end, we delivered many critical outcomes.

But we faced one challenge much greater than the others — getting a deal on climate finance. Many said we could never get it done. Recently, negotiations in other forums have fallen at the final hurdle.

To land a deal, we would have to call upon the spirit of Rio, Kyoto, Paris and Dubai.

In the end, we secured the historic Baku Finance Goal. This was the UN’s largest ever pledge. And it will guide how we support the Global South during the next decade.

We understand that the goal was not everything for everyone. We know it was hard.

Difficult times demand difficult decisions. But it was a make-or-break moment and a litmus test for the Paris Agreement. Failure would have shaken the multilateral system at a dangerous moment. So, we humbly thank everyone who agreed that it was essential to move forward. After such difficult negotiations, now there can be no excuses. We asked vulnerable communities to accept the limits of how much support they could expect. Now, in equal measure, we insist that donors deliver in full… with developed countries taking the lead.

A changing world is no excuse for backtracking. We already knew that the world was changing when we agreed on the goal. Many used these changes to justify not going further. They cannot be used again as a reason for not meeting commitments. And this comes at a critical moment, as countries are submitting their latest climate plans, because every plan has a price tag.

And delivering the Baku Finance Goal will be essential to success. Countries cannot cut emissions or protect communities if they cannot count on capital. Going backwards in the first year of the new goal would clearly be against the spirit of the agreement. It would undermine the entire process. It would leave communities underfunded and unprotected.

We will therefore work to keep the Baku Finance Goal on the global agenda. As an outgoing presidency, this is our solemn duty. By fulfilling past promises, we restore faith in the system. We prove that building more agreements is not in vain. We dismantle the distrust that we have seen too often. And we restore COP’s sense of purpose.

But the history of holding donors to account for the $100-billion is a disappointing one. It was raised at these podiums many times, by many leaders. And we are forced to find more creative ways to make our point. So let me try this.

Today, we are presenting donors with this invoice, which you can find on the COP29 media channels. This covers what donors have already promised. It includes the essential milestones that will keep us on track.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev opened COP30 in Belém, issuing a powerful call for accountability on climate finance.

He presented donors with an invoice that calls for the delivery of climate finance commitments, including the historic Baku Finance Goal agreed at COP29 last… pic.twitter.com/wXvGqSmB6g

— COP29 Azerbaijan (@COP29_AZ) November 10, 2025

First, we must double adaptation finance. This was due at the end of 2025.

And that deadline is almost upon us. So, developed countries must use every moment remaining to close the gap.

Second, we need to triple the UN climate funds by 2030. This was a key demand of small island developing states. And we all agreed. So, we need substantial contributions to each fund’s next replenishment round.

The invoice concludes with the $300-billion, promised by 2035. And, in the same way that we expect countries to publish 10 years of plans in their NDCs [nationally determined contributions] and NAPs [national adaptation plans]. We also expect donors to publish their plans for how they will deliver their fair share of the 300 billion over these years.

At COP29, we set out a vision to enhance ambition and enable action. Now it is time to enact the pact. These were collective agreements. But delivery depends on individual acts — country by country.

Given that, countries already agreed that there should be a balance between adaptation and mitigation … and that the NCQG [New Collective Quantified Goal] triples the previous $100-billion goal, we believe that it is only logical that we can set a target to triple adaptation finance.

Dear friends, public finance is the backbone of the Baku Finance Goal, and there can be no distraction from donors’ duties to deliver. But we all must embrace the joint effort. We need everyone to move forward in every possible direction. That approach inspired the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap.

It can now serve as a central reference for our work. And it has shown that the pathway to 1.3 trillion is possible. But it demands political will and global action.

[Shortened by ed.]

UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell 

Ten years ago in Paris, we were designing the future — a future that would clearly see the curve of emissions bend downwards. Colleagues, welcome to that future.

The emissions curve has been bent downwards. Because of what was agreed in halls like this, with governments legislating, and markets responding.  But I am not sugar-coating it. We have so much more work to do.

We must move much, much faster on both reductions of emissions and strengthening resilience. The science is clear: we can and must bring temperatures back down to 1.5°C after any temporary overshoot. Lamenting is not a strategy.  We need solutions.

We find ourselves here in Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon. And we can learn a lot from this mighty river. The Amazon isn’t a single entity, rather a vast river system supported and powered by over a thousand tributaries.

To accelerate implementation, the COP process must be supported in the same way — powered by the many streams of international cooperation. Because individual national commitments alone are not cutting emissions fast enough.

We don’t need to wait for late NDCs to slowly trickle in to spot the gap and design the innovations necessary to tackle it. Not one single nation among you can afford this, as climate disasters rip double-digits off GDP.

To falter whilst mega-droughts wreck national harvests, sending food prices soaring, makes zero sense, economically or politically. To squabble while famines take hold, forcing millions to flee their homelands, this will never be forgotten, as conflicts spread.

While climate disasters decimate the lives of millions, when we already have the solutions, this will never, ever be forgiven. The economics of this transition are as indisputable as the costs of inaction.

Solar and wind are now the lowest-cost power in 90% of the world. Renewables overtook coal this year as the world’s top energy source. Investment in clean energy and infrastructure will hit another record high this year — with investments in renewables outstripping fossil fuels 2 to 1.

So what needs to be decided here in Belem to match the opportunities, with the scale of the crisis we face?

Because we have already agreed that we will transition away from fossil fuels. Now’s the time to focus on how we do it fairly and orderly. Focusing on which deals to strike, to accelerate the tripling of renewables and doubling energy efficiency.

We have already agreed to deliver at least $300-billion in climate finance, with developed countries taking the lead. We now need to put the Baku to Belem Roadmap to work, to start moving towards the $1.3-trillion.

We have already agreed on a global goal on adaptation. We now need to agree on the indicators that will help speed up implementation, to unleash its potential.

We have already agreed that transition pathways must be inclusive and just — covering whole economies and societies. Now we must agree on concrete steps to turn aspirations into actions. We have already agreed on a Technology Implementation Programme. Let’s set it in motion.

Strong and clear outcomes on all these issues are essential.  This is how we signal to the world that climate cooperation is delivering results.

In Belém, we’ve got to marry the world of negotiations to the actions needed in the real economy.

The Action Agenda is not a “nice-to-have” — it is mission-critical. More than that, it is entirely in every nation’s enlightened self-interest. Every gigawatt of clean power cuts pollution and creates more jobs.

Every action to build resilience helps save lives, strengthen communities, and protect the global supply chains that every economy depends on.  This is the growth story of the 21st century — the economic transformation of our age.  Those opting out or taking baby steps face stagnation and higher prices, while other economies surge ahead.

To paraphrase President Roosevelt over a century ago. It is not the critic who counts or the one who points out where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena with their faces marred by dust and sweat and blood who strive valiantly.

But friends, let me be clear: in this arena of COP30, your job here is not to fight one another — your job is to fight this climate crisis, together.  Paris is working to deliver real progress.  Let’s not forget it.

But friends, we must strive valiantly for more.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 

More than 30 years ago, at the Earth Summit, world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro to discuss development and environmental protection. At that time, multilateralism was at its peak.

The world was entering what became known as the decade of conferences, from which emerged the great guiding principles that have guided humanity throughout these three decades. Among them are the concept of sustainable development and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, living legacies of Rio 92.

Today, the Climate Convention returns to its homeland. She is making her way back to recapture the enthusiasm and engagement that fuelled her birth.

For the next two weeks, Belém will be the capital of the world. Negotiators, governors, mayors, parliamentarians, scientists, and civil society organisations will be part of this great collective effort for the planet.

Bringing COP to the heart of the Amazon was an arduous but necessary task. The Amazon is not an abstract entity. Those who only see the forest from above are unaware of what goes on in its shadow.

The most diverse biome on Earth is home to nearly 50 million people, including 400 indigenous groups, scattered across nine developing countries that still face immense social and economic challenges.

Challenges that Brazil is striving to overcome with the same determination with which it overcame the logistical difficulties inherent in organising a conference of this magnitude.

When you leave Belém, the people of the city will retain the infrastructure investments that were made to welcome you. And the world will finally be able to say that it knows the reality of the Amazon.

In the days leading up to this conference, heads of state and government, ministers of state, representatives of international organisations and civil society gathered at the Belém Climate Summit.

We launched the Rainforests Forever Fund, a groundbreaking mechanism that raised $5.5-billion in investment announcements in a single day.   We have adopted collective commitments regarding:

• Integrated fire management;
• The right to land ownership by indigenous and traditional peoples;
• Quadrupling the production of sustainable fuels;
• The creation of a coalition on carbon markets
• Aligning climate action with the fight against hunger and poverty; and
• The fight against environmental racism.

The Belém Summit was the culmination of a journey that Brazil invited the international community to follow throughout its presidencies of the G20 and BRICS.

The synthesis of the elements we gathered along this journey is contained in the Call to Action that we launched after the summit as a contribution to the debates at COP and beyond.

Climate change is no longer a threat of the future. It’s a tragedy of the present.

Hurricane Melissa, which battered the Caribbean, and the tornado that struck the state of Paraná in southern Brazil, left fatalities and a trail of destruction. From droughts and fires in Africa and Europe to floods in South America and Southeast Asia, rising global temperatures are spreading pain and suffering, especially among the most vulnerable populations.

COP30 will be the COP of truth. In the age of misinformation, obscurantists reject not only scientific evidence but also the progress of multilateralism. They control algorithms, sow hatred, and spread fear. They attack institutions, science, and universities. It’s time to inflict another defeat on the deniers.

Without the Paris Agreement, the world would be doomed to catastrophic warming of almost five degrees by the end of the century. We are heading in the right direction, but at the wrong speed. At the current rate, we are still heading towards an increase of more than one and a half degrees in global temperature. Breaking through this barrier is a risk we cannot take.

Dear friends, Our Call to Action is divided into three parts. In the first part, I appeal to countries to fulfil their commitments. This means:

• Formulate and implement ambitious nationally determined contributions;
• To ensure financing, technology transfer and capacity building to developing countries; and
• To give due attention to adapting to the effects of climate change.

In the second part, I urge world leaders to accelerate climate action. We need roadmaps so that humanity can, in a just and planned way, overcome its dependence on fossil fuels, halt and reverse deforestation, and mobilise resources for these purposes.

Moving forward requires more robust global governance, capable of ensuring that words translate into actions. The proposal to create a Climate Council, linked to the UN General Assembly, is a way to give this challenge the political stature it deserves.

In the third part, I call on the international community to put people at the centre of the climate agenda. Global warming could push millions of people into hunger and poverty, reversing decades of progress. The disproportionate impact of climate change on women, people of African descent, migrants, and vulnerable groups must be taken into account in adaptation policies.

It is essential to recognise the role of indigenous territories and traditional communities in mitigation efforts. In Brazil, more than 13% of the territory is designated as indigenous land. Perhaps this is still not enough.

A just transition must contribute to reducing the asymmetries between the Global North and South, forged over centuries of emissions. The climate emergency is a crisis of inequality.

It exposes and exacerbates what is already unacceptable. It deepens the perverse logic that defines who is worthy of living and who should die. Change through choice gives us the chance for a future that is not dictated by tragedy. Discouragement cannot extinguish the hopes of youth. [Shortened by ed.]

COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago 

It is a great honour to assume the presidency of COP30. I have 43 years of diplomatic career, so I think I can understand the responsibility ahead, which is not small. Not only during the 12 days of the conference, but also throughout the 12 months ahead of me as my mandate as the president of COP.

In 1992, I was just a young diplomat working on the organisation of the Rio 92 conference, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, where the UN climate convention was born.

I became fascinated with the topic at the time, with the possibilities that this agenda opened for Brazilian diplomacy. I was also impressed by the talent of my fellow negotiators and their example decades later, following me. And I think I am a very aware heir of this tradition of serving Brazil.

I cannot express how proud I feel to serve my country. I would like to pay tribute to all the colleagues who, before me, have taught me to make the things that I will try and do here in this COP under my presidency. We’re gathered here to try and change things.

I deeply believe that human beings are essentially good, but we know that they are capable of terrible things, such as war, which has unfortunately returned to threaten the lives of so many.

Yet humankind has done and continues to do extraordinary things. And to think that we can improve people’s lives is what inspires us. And despite recent setbacks, living conditions around the world can continue to improve.

Science, education and culture show us the way. And in the fight against climate change, multilateralism is the way. And even if I may be biased in speaking well of multilateral diplomacy, I will do so. With the Montreal Protocol, in two and a half decades, we were able to eliminate 95% of the gases that cause the ozone layer hole, which is now healing.

I remind you that the Paris Agreement, 10 years ago, came at a moment when we were on track to exceed four degrees of temperature. Now we know that we have reduced a lot, but we know that we have to work much more to reduce even more. This is a moment of many celebrations, but we have to be humble enough and realistic enough to know that there are still many things to be done. We’re almost there, but we have to do much more.

What has completely changed my perception about this process has to do with a sense of urgency. My background is in the defence of the interests of a country. Just like any of you here, we have to defend the interests of our countries.

But urgency is the element that adds to it … such as this week in Brazil, in the state of Paraná, or in the Philippines, or a few weeks back in Jamaica, our responsibilities are immense.

President Lula, I owe entirely to you the fact that I am sitting here today. I still do not fully know why I was chosen, but it might be because I could gather a wonderful team. And with this team, we are going to do what you expect us to do, always counting on your help. But I think you can count on us as well.

During the globalisation process to prepare for the COP period, we were able to see that one word, which is an indigenous word in Brazil called mutirão [joint effort], became a word in every dictionary. And it is through the mutirão that we are going to be able to implement the decisions of this COP and the previous ones. We want, we have said many times, but we have to repeat, this is a COP that has to present solutions and the action agenda that we have structured for this COP, of which we will have many ministers of state of Brazil and other authorities in multiple events, with an essential dimension. This action agenda will show many pathways.

Therefore, this is a COP of implementation. I hope it will be remembered as a COP of adaptation, a COP of advancing climate integration with the economy, activities, generation of jobs, and above all, a COP which will hear and believe in science. And in this sense, Mr President, thank you for having found the ideal formula to define this COP, which is the COP of truth.

It’s time to act, says SA’s Dion George

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dr Dion George is leading South Africa’s delegation to COP 30.

“This is the time for the world to act,” said George. “Every decision in Belém must come with a clear plan for implementation, financing, and accountability. People and communities living with the daily reality of climate change cannot wait any longer.”

George is co-chairing negotiations for the Adaptation stream at COP30 with Jochen Flasbarth, the German state secretary for economic cooperation and development.

“Adaptation is about building resilience. It is how we prepare for the storms, droughts, and rising seas that are already reshaping our world,” said George.

“We must be able to track our success and hold ourselves accountable. Without measurable results, there can be no credibility.”

He warned that global cooperation was under pressure but reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to working through multilateralism.

“No nation can face this crisis alone,” he said. “Together we can find solutions that are fair, practical, and lasting.”

South Africa’s priorities at COP30 include advancing the $1.3-trillion  in climate finance agreed at COP29, finalising the Global Goal on Adaptation through the Belém Work Programme, and ensuring the Loss and Damage Fund supports the most vulnerable.

“COP30 must deliver real outcomes for people and the planet,” said George. DM 

Read more: Developing deadlock – Will the promised Loss and Damage climate finance funds materialise?

Kristin Engel is a freelance environmental journalist and a Danida Fellow participating in the Danida Fellowship Centre’s 2025 learning programme, ‘Reporting from the frontline of the global climate crisis in an era of fake news’. The Danida Fellowship Centre is a public self-governing institution under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.