Civil society shapes COP30 in Belém ^{CEFR B1}

Isabela Carvalho, director of knowledge at Ashoka and a member of the Washington Brazil Office board, attended COP30 in Belém as a civil society delegate. The conference stood out for the visible presence of organized civil society across formal spaces, parallel events and street actions.

The People’s Summit became a key political space where social movements, urban collectives and local and Indigenous communities built consensus. At the end, representatives delivered a letter with collective demands to COP officials and members of the Brazilian government.

Indigenous participation grew markedly: the Yaku Mama Flotilla brought leaders from Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, and COP organizers said more than 900 Indigenous participants were accredited for the Blue Zone, up from a previous record. The final COP text recognized Indigenous territorial rights. Civil society groups welcomed some announcements, such as a fund for tropical forests, but called for direct access to resources and stronger action on land and rivers.