The Brazilian COP30 Presidency has released the first draft of the Belém Political Package, titled “Global Mutirão: Uniting Humanity in a Global Mobilization Against Climate Change.” This move aims to accelerate negotiations on the most politically charged issues ahead of the summit’s final days.
The “Mutirão” (an Indigenous word meaning “collective task”) decision groups together four priority issues not formally on the agenda: emissions-cutting ambition, updated national climate plans (NDCs), climate finance, and the link between trade and climate measures.
Call for unity:
In a letter accompanying the draft, COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago urged negotiators to work with speed and a spirit of cooperation to finalize the text. “I urge you to work side by side, in task-force mode, to finalise the package swiftly, fairly and with care for all,” Corrêa do Lago wrote. He said, “We invite Parties to view the Mutirão as an experiment in which we cooperate first seeking solutions together as a way to build trust and create spaces of consensus.”
Divisive language and options:
The nine-page draft text presents a menu of options for the most contentious points, reflecting the deep divisions among parties. On the phase-out of fossil fuels, for example, options range from direct references to “overcoming dependency” on fossil fuels and subsidies to proposals containing “no text at all.”
Kaysie Brown, an associate director for climate diplomacy at think tank E3G, gave a cautious endorsement. “It gives Belém a real chance to secure a political and narrative win,” Brown said. “This is the most cohesive first-draft package a COP Presidency has put on the table in years, but a huge amount of work remains to bridge the divides, especially on finance and the fossil fuel transition.”
The Presidency is attempting to get this political agreement within the next 48 hours, hoping to leave the final days for technical issues.
