Report on side events at COP 30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, from November 11th to 15th, 2025.

My participation was to represent our congregation, the Franciscan Sisters, FCJM. As sisters with the spirituality and charism of Saint Francis of Assisi, we are inspired to be involved in these events defending the environment. What is COP 30? COP30, short for “Conference of the Parties,” refers to events that take place annually, bringing together people from over 190 countries. The goal? To discuss solutions to environmental problems and adopt measures to combat climate change. Since 1995, when the first COP30 was held, 29 such events have taken place. This year it was held in Belém, in the state of Pará, Brazil. COP30 is a political event; among the main participants are state representatives who had access to the Blue Zone. It is the main annual event of the UN (United Nations). There was also the Green Zone, where parallel events to COP30 took place, including the People’s Summit. There were also church events, such as those of the Archdiocese of Belém, and religious families such as the Franciscan, Marist, and Augustinian families, etc., gathered.

The opening of the Metropolitan Region’s program began on November 11th with a mass presided over by Dom Julio Akamine. The Archdiocese of Belém hosted a wide-ranging program in four distinct areas of the Metropolitan Region. The event included thematic panels, exhibition tents, workshops, liturgical celebrations, cultural presentations, and awareness-raising activities. The objective was to offer spaces for listening, sharing, and commitment to current socio-environmental challenges. To strengthen the Pastoral of Integral Ecology and encourage a true ecological conversion in the communities. The four areas were: Social Area, Education and Health Area, Youth Area, and Sustainability Area.

The National Franciscan Family met with representatives of the international Franciscan family delegation, with the aim of sharing what we as a family are doing in the world. In the sharing, human rights and environmental rights were mentioned. This team is responsible for bringing the work of the Franciscan family around the world to the UN. On the morning of the 13th was the first day of debate at the People’s Summit (What is the People’s Summit? It is an autonomous and plural space for social movements, indigenous peoples, traditional communities and civil society, which is articulated in parallel to the official COPs (such as COP 30) to propose popular and just solutions to the climate crisis, confronting institutional agendas and denouncing the socio-environmental impacts of capitalism, racism and extractivism, focusing on the sovereignty of peoples, social and environmental justice and territory-based solutions).

On the morning of the 13th I participated in Axis 4 Solidarity: Against oppression, for democracy and for the internationalism of peoples. It focused on active solidarity among global social movements to confront neocolonialism, racism, and inequalities. The central theme advocates for popular sovereignty and the international unity of social movements to confront corporate power. On the afternoon of the 13th, the celebration “Cries for Life, Faith, Justice and Care” took place in the North 2 Regional Auditorium of the CNBB (Nacional Conference of Brazilian Bishops) with the international Franciscan family, the Franciscan family of Brazil, SINFRAJUPE (Inter-Franciscan Service of Justice,

Peace and Ecology), CRB Nacional (National Conference of Religious of Brazil), the “One Cry for Life” Network, and Vivat International.

On the morning of the 14th, I attended Axis 6, Just Cities and Living Peripheries. This Axis focused on popular feminism and the resistance of women in the territories. It centered on the struggle of women and girls against the climate, capital, and patriarchy crises, valuing ancestral knowledge, the women’s economy, and the protection of women defenders. It defends sexual and reproductive rights.

In the afternoon, the CIDSE (International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity) meeting took place. CIDSE is an international alliance that brings together 18 Catholic development organizations from countries in Europe and North America. CIDSE works for climate justice, human rights, and sustainable food systems. The organization promotes studies, influences policies, and participates in global forums, such as COP30, to combat inequalities and promote sustainable development based on the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.

On the morning of the 15th, the global climate march took place, bringing together approximately 70,000 people. The event focused on climate justice and the preservation of the Amazon, highlighting the fight against environmental racism and the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Indigenous peoples, social movements, and activists led the protests. In an act laden with symbolism, representatives of social movements officially delivered the People’s Declaration to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, president of COP30. In it, they make statements, propose challenges, and in summary, state that it is time to unify our forces and confront the common enemy. It is time to move forward in a more organized, independent, and unified way, to increase our awareness, strength, and combativeness. This is the path to resist and win.

 Written by Sr. M. Gesiane Rosana Paixão Souza FCJM