Statement by President Lula at civil society meeting within framework of ACTO Summit

Fellow ministers, foreign ministers, and members of the Brazilian delegation present here,

I would just like to inform the Presidents present that, on September 9 — please mark it on your calendar, my fellow President Petro [Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia] — we will inaugurate, in the city of Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center, with the participation of all countries. I will personally invite all the Presidents of the Amazonian countries to attend this event.

This is a very important initiative to combat illegal mining, to combat drug trafficking, to combat arms smuggling, and to combat anything else that may disturb us. Before reading my brief speech, I would like to tell you that our Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago [President of COP30 and Secretary for Climate, Energy, and Environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] is present at this meeting, and he is our President of COP30.

Stand up so that people can at least get to know you, André, because if any issues arise, you will be the one to handle them.

I would just like to remind my fellow Presidents, ministers, guests, Indigenous peoples, our esteemed Afro-descendant communities, and our experts who are present here that we need to carefully define what we aim to achieve at COP30.

On one side, you have those who want to act but do not have the funds. On the other side, you have those who do not want to act but do have the funds. And every summit ends with some asking and others denying. We must be prepared to make this COP the most serious COP ever held. And to hold a COP that is considered a COP of truth, where everyone will state whether they effectively believe that what is happening on the planet is indeed happening.

The concrete fact is that at every COP we attend, many decisions are made, but they are not implemented. Few countries work hard to comply with the decisions. Others do not give the slightest importance, and some, after the COP ends, deny having signed agreements. What was done with the Kyoto Protocol? Nothing. What was done with the Paris Agreement? Very few complied. And the world’s largest economy withdrew from the Paris Agreement. What was done with the COP15 decision to provide 100 billion dollars per year to help preserve the forest? Nothing.

Therefore, we must have clarity on how we will conduct ourselves at this COP. This COP is set to take place in the Amazon because many people give opinions about the Amazon, but few truly know it. And we want people to get to know the Amazon, to understand that 50 million people live across these eight countries. We want people to learn the lesson that beneath every tree canopy, there is an Indigenous person, an extractor, a rubber tapper, an angler, a small-scale rural worker. And these people must survive.

And those who believe in the importance of keeping the forest standing must help provide the resources so that we can preserve it. There are those who will give speeches, and there are those who will negotiate. And it is at the moment of negotiation that things become more difficult. Because we will not be negotiating with those who fully agree with us. We will negotiate with one party that fully agrees, another party that partially agrees, and another one that does not agree at all.

Especially when it comes to providing money. Above all. Every time someone tries to convince me that they have the funds to solve this problem, I find myself asking: I want to see who will actually provide the money. Because we are full of promises. Each of us must now do our part.

Brazil has already submitted its NDCs [Nationally Determined Contributions]. And we have done so with the expectation that all countries will arrive presenting their own NDCs. The first proof that countries will treat the climate issue seriously is to state what commitments they are taking on—at least through 2035.

If each country does its part, we will manage to get there. But if we simply assume that wealthy countries will come to the Amazon, take pity on us, and provide funds to support Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, small-scale workers, and anglers in Brazil and Colombia, they will not. We must understand this.

We have interesting proposals; we have been working on interesting proposals. We are proposing a fund to keep the forests standing, and I want to see which countries are willing to contribute so that we can maintain them. We need to keep the forests standing and the workers who live there—the Indigenous peoples—alive. That is what matters to us at this COP30: making this COP the COP of truth. To find out who is who? Who will do what? Because otherwise, we must consider doing something other than holding COPs—spending a fortune to hold a COP and then achieving almost nothing. It would be easier to hold a COP in a wealthy country. It would be easier to hold a COP in a wealthy country.

We are holding it in the Amazon, in circumstances that are not like Paris, not like Dubai—it will not be in one of those fancy places. It is the Amazon. The Amazon. And we want people to see the real situation of the forests, our rivers, and the peoples who live there. So that we understand that we have an almost Herculean task ahead to be able to address this climate issue.

All I can say to you is that, as long as I am President of the Republic of my country, I will do my part. And if each of us does our part, we will have things more or less resolved.

So, I want to congratulate you, my fellow Petro, on this event. It is extremely important because the ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization/Organização do Tratado de Cooperação Amazônica) was created a long time ago, and I spent eight years in office without participating in any ACTO meetings. I only participated in my second term, when we hosted the meeting in Belém.

Therefore, I believe we will approach this with great respect and seriousness, because it will be a milestone. You can be sure of that. The climate issue will be assessed before and after COP30. Before, let me remind you that, in the 1980s, the entire European continent and the Americans said that the Amazon was the lungs of the world, and that Brazil needed to save it for that reason. I used to tell them that foreign debt was like pneumonia affecting those lungs.

And today, things remain almost the same way. So, I want to tell you that I am treating COP30 as something extremely important—truly important in my life—because it must deliver results. I do not want this COP to be a parade of speeches, a parade of pamphlets, or ideas with zero conclusions. I want concrete outcomes, to see if we can take a step forward and break free from the same old patterns in which we are stuck.

Having said that, I would like to read my brief speech here and apologize if it turns out to be long.

I want to begin by saying, my dear Petro, that being here means witnessing the seed we planted two years ago to grow and bear fruit.

At the Belém Summit, I said that that moment represented the beginning of a new Amazonian dream.

There is a Brazilian song that says that dreams we dream together become reality.

If we are here today, it is because the Colombian government and people have dreamed alongside us and worked to advance the construction of a new sustainable development model for the Amazon.

In 2023, the Amazon Dialogues brought together nearly 30,000 people who helped us shape this new vision.

Today, this meeting of the Presidents with Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples paves the way for COP30.

Once again, I want to thank Colombia for continuing this initiative and for keeping the doors of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization open to everyone.

The ACTO is a living platform that needs to rise to the challenges of our time and be sensitive to the aspirations of society.

Over the past two years, we have made significant progress in strengthening it.

We have witnessed the historic establishment of the Amazon Indigenous Peoples Mechanism, which will include those who have been excluded for more than five centuries.

I hope that, soon, we will be able to count on ACTO Social, to ensure ongoing contact between civil society and the Organization’s decision-making bodies.

A strong ACTO depends on adequate institutional and financial means. However, it cannot be sustained without robust national strategies and policies.

In Brazil, the Amazon has returned to the center of government action. In the first two years of this administration, we nearly halved deforestation in the region. We will transform the “Arc of Deforestation” into the “Arc of Restoration,” restoring 12 million hectares of native vegetation.

Today, there are almost 130 conservation units in the Amazon, and we have officially recognized sixteen new Indigenous lands across the country.

The people of the Amazon deserve to live free from violence—violence that destroys the forest and poisons the waters; that undermines the livelihoods of fishermen and extractivists; that drives Indigenous peoples from their lands and riverside communities from their homes; that takes the lives of those who fight for the Amazon, such as Chico Mendes, Dorothy Stang, Bruno Pereira, Dom Phillips, and many others. That is why we have strengthened environmental enforcement actions.

We have reduced the rate of illegal mining areas in the Yanomami Territory, in the state of Roraima, to practically zero.

In Manaus, we inaugurated the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center, which will facilitate coordination with other Amazonian countries in the fight against organized crime.

The lack of opportunities is an injustice against the people of the Amazon.

Access to education, health care, and housing cannot be a privilege for the few.

The people of the Amazon want to start businesses, work, produce, and live.

We are putting the concept of bioeconomy into practice.

Our Productive Forests program will foster the planting of native species alongside food cultivation.

It makes no sense for such a rich region to suffer so much from hunger and poverty.

We have expanded Bolsa Verde, which provides income to families living in conservation units and traditional communities.

Dear friends,

When we offered Brazil as the host of COP30, we knew that this meeting could not take place anywhere else but in the Amazon.

For a long time, wealthy countries have accused us of not taking care of the forest.

Those who polluted the planet try to impose models that do not serve us.

They use the fight against deforestation as a justification for protectionism.

They use the fight against organized crime as a pretext to violate our sovereignty.

But the time is coming to show the world the reality of the Amazon.

It is not only made up of trees. It is also made up of people—who live and breathe every single day.

The future of the biome does not depend solely on the Amazonian countries.

Even if not a single tree is cut down, the forest will remain at risk if the rest of the world does not make progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Our dependence on fossil fuels condemns us to an uncertain future.

The most promising path is that of diversifying our energy sources.

And it is important for me to tell you something here: Brazil is a country that enjoys the advantage of having 80%, almost 90%, of its energy matrix from renewable sources. Brazil is one of the countries that, even in the fuel sector, already blends 30% ethanol in gasoline and 15% biodiesel in diesel. And we have, possibly, a strong foundation for growth in the energy transition—ranging from green hydrogen, biomass, solar, and wind energy. And we are moving forward because Brazil does not want to remain dependent on this energy issue.

We have territory, sun, wind, technological knowledge, water, and the capacity to move away from relying on oil by using these as a resource to carry out the energy transition that Brazil quickly needs to achieve.

Decarbonization is not a choice; it is increasingly becoming a necessity.

Scientists warn of tipping points that could trigger irreversible processes.

The rains that nourish our fields and supply our cities will decrease.

Fires and droughts will become part of our routine.

Many will lose their livelihoods. Countless others may be forced to leave their homes.

Our economies will be severely impacted.

If global warming decimates the forest, the Amazonian people will be its first victims.

It is only fair that their voices be heard.

Social participation will be a key element for the success of COP30.

The Brazilian Presidency has launched four dialogue circles.

The Circle of Presidents from previous COPs is committed to ensuring that the new Nationally Determined Contributions meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The Circle of Finance Ministers is working to expand funding beyond the 300 billion dollars negotiated at the COP in Baku.

In Belém, we will launch the Forever Tropical Forests Fund, an innovative mechanism that will provide compensation to countries that keep their forests standing.

In the same spirit, the Peoples’ Circle is amplifying the voices of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, helping to incorporate traditional knowledge and practices into the climate debate.

The Global Ethical Balance Circle has been a democratic and plural space, working to build new consensus to guide a just transition.

It was structured around six regional dialogues, bringing together religious leaders, artists, local communities, businesspeople, policymakers, and activists.

Yesterday, Bogotá hosted the Regional Dialogue for South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

London has already hosted the debate for Europe, and in September we will hold meetings in New Delhi, Addis Ababa, and New York.

We are also supporting hundreds of self-managed dialogues around the world.

All contributions will be compiled into a document to be delivered to negotiators and to Heads of State and Government.

It will be time for world leaders to show whether they are truly committed to the future of the planet.

There is no individual solution to the climate crisis.

There is no way to overcome it other than through multilateralism.

Much has been negotiated, but little has been accomplished.

We need a new global governance.

If the United Nations is the space we created to address the most important issues facing humanity, it is there that climate change must be addressed.

We will work to establish a Climate Council capable of mobilizing countries to fulfill their commitments.

In Brazil, we use the Indigenous word “mutirão” to refer to a large collective effort.

We need everyone’s support to create a “mutirão” from Bogotá to Belém.

If there is no future for the Amazon and its people, there will be no future for the planet.

Together, we can make COP30 the COP of the turning point.

It is important that civil society here understands one thing. And I will say it, because if we do not have new global governance, we will not be able to implement a new climate policy. There must be someone with the authority to coordinate and enforce the decisions we make. Because we make decisions and none of them are enforced.

Because each country takes the decision to be discussed within its own national Government, in its parliament, with its Finance minister. And then, things start not happening. When we make a decision on climate issues, there must be global governance with the authority to ensure it is implemented.

Otherwise, we will turn the COP into a World Social Forum. I am not sure if you remember the World Social Forum. People would gather, everyone would present their thesis, everyone would say whatever they wanted, everyone would buy whatever they wanted, but no one would leave with a commitment to do anything. Eventually, the Forum faded away due to lack of willingness to act.

I, for one, attended the 2009 COP. I was President at the time. Back then, the wealthy countries wanted to hold China responsible for the world's pollution. All the countries, Petro [President of Colombia], all the countries, Arce [Luis, President of Bolivia]. Obama [Barack, former President of the United States] called me, Angela Merkel [former Chancellor of Germany] called me, the United Kingdom called me, saying that China had to be punished because China was the most polluting country in the world. And we responded that yes, China had to be held accountable, provided that the wealthy countries paid the debt they owed, since they have been polluting the planet for much longer, since the beginning of industrialization.

Well, there was no agreement at that COP. There was no agreement. We held a meeting among China, India, Brazil, and South Africa, and the COP ended without a decision. And why did it end without a decision? Because no one wants to take on commitments. The industrialized countries do not want to stop being industrialized. Those who are already wealthy do not want to make the sacrifice to take action. We have everything we need to take action.

Brazil, for example, has 40 million hectares of land to restore. You can plant trees with whatever you want. Colombia certainly has land. Bolivia certainly has land. All the Amazonian countries certainly have land.

The question is whether these people are willing, at least, to help finance this. So that they can show whether they truly want to ensure that the climate does not allow warming beyond one and a half degrees.

And this is precisely why there must be global governance. And to have this global governance, you cannot undermine multilateralism. You cannot do what the American President is doing: making decisions alone, without considering that the WTO exists, without considering the UN, without considering anything at all.

So, this is the context in which we will arrive at COP30. I even sent a personal letter, Petro, to President Trump [Donald, President of the United States of America]. He is being invited to attend the COP. Each President will receive a letter—a letter with my signature. Not an electronic letter, no. One with my signature. This is to make clear whether they will approach this COP seriously or not. Because if they do not take it seriously, we will have to consider what actions to take moving forward to care for the planet.

Thank you very much, everyone.