Lula: “We are sure to have the best COP in history”
President monitors progress of work and investments in Pará, Belém for conference focused on mitigating effects of climate change
On Friday, February 14 — second day of his trip to Belém — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended an announcement ceremony regarding the progress of the Federal Government's work towards COP30 and the legacies expected for the state and the capital of Pará.
Lula addressed the challenges of holding a megaconference like the COP in an Amazon state, and pointed out the advantages of holding discussions on climate change outside the São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro axis. “I chose Belém and Pará because I am aware of the transformations that cities undergo when they host major international events,” said the President, recalling the infrastructure upgrades that benefited the 12 cities that hosted the 2014 World Cup games. “I visited Barcelona, which hosted the 1992 Olympics, and I began to see the transformation that the city underwent. I wondered: why can't Brazil host these international events?”
"This country has to stop being small. This country has to have the courage to stand up and say that it wants to get things done, because we want to show Brazil the way it is. I leave Pará with the certainty that we are going to hold the best COP in history”
The list of investments by the Federal Government in Pará is estimated at BRL 4.8 billion. This includes construction and renovation of structures such as the Ver-o-Peso Market, the São Brás Market, the São Joaquim Linear Park, the adaptation of the Belém Air Base, the Doca Linear Park, as well as work on the canal, basic sanitation, and the City Park [Parque da Cidade], where the conference will take place. At Porto Futuro II, five warehouses are being renovated and transformed into a leisure and gastronomy complex. Belém is also undergoing modernization in tourism and professional qualification.
“This country has to stop being small. This country has to have the courage to stand up and say that it wants to get things done, because we want to show Brazil the way it is. I leave Pará with the certainty that we will hold the best COP in history, because the topic of all the ones held in other countries was the Amazon. This one will be in the Amazon, so that they can get to know the Amazon and the people of Pará as they are,” said Lula.
CITY PARK — The President visited the construction site of City Park, a space that will host the main COP30 program in November. Harboring over 500 thousand square meters of infrastructure, as well as a 50 hectare landscaped area, it is the largest urban project now underway in Pará. BRL 980 million was invested in the facility, and 74% of the works have already been completed.
BALANCE — The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, presented a summary of the actions and initiatives carried out in partnership by state and federal executives. “There are over 30 projects underway in this partnership in the areas of urban development, mobility, and sanitation. We also have the direct agenda of airports, ports, and hospitals. These investments are not directly linked to the COP30 agenda, they also have a direct impact on the city,” he explained.
VOLUME — The Mayor of Belém, Igor Normando, celebrated the federal investments that have been earmarked for the Pará capital. “Belém hosting COP30 will be a turning point. We will cease to be a city whose economic matrix is based on services and become one with a tourist hub that can verticalize production and develop the bioeconomy and the economy that comes from our forests,” he said.
"This COP30 will be historic and a landmark. It’s a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon, because it involves 196 countries and they are all responsible for balancing the climate and ensuring that forests are not destroyed.” — Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change"
REFERENCE — Minister Marina Silva (Environment and Climate Change) observed that holding COP30 in the heart of the Amazon is a chance to discuss how to balance the climate system and life on the planet. “This COP30 will be historic and a landmark event. It is a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon, because it involves 196 countries and they are all responsible for balancing the climate and ensuring that forests are not destroyed,” stated Marina Silva. The Minister noted the Federal Government’s commitment to zero deforestation by 2030 — and cited the 45% drop in deforestation in the Amazon, 27% in the Atlantic Forest, 77% in the Pantanal and 48% in the Cerrado as examples of federal efforts in this direction.
URBANIZATION — During the event, a BRL 250 million credit line from the Brazil’s Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social/BNDES) was announced to finance the Government of Pará for macro-drainage and urbanization projects. The amounts are in addition to the BRL 255 million already released by BNDES for works in 2024, reaching BRL 505 million of the BRL 847 million in financing proposed for the whole set of projects.
FIRES — At the ceremony, BNDES and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change signed a non-reimbursable financial support contract of BRL 45 million from the Amazon Fund to Pará to strengthen the structure of the Fire Department and its actions to prevent and fight forest fires. “It includes vehicles, tanks, backhoes, personal protective equipment, and a set of pickup trucks, cars and buses. These conditions reinforce and strengthen the Pará Fire Department”, stated the acting President of BNDES Tereza Campello.
AIRPORT AND RESEARCH — Another announcement included the Belém Airport, with an estimated investment of BRL 470 million. Construction work is advancing at a fast pace, and is being carried out in three shifts. Minister Sílvio Costa Filho (Ports and Airports) emphasized that this announcement corresponds to the largest volume of airport investments in the history of Pará. By August, the Belém Airport will be ready to be handed over to the state's population. ”We will go from 7 million passengers to almost 14 million,” said the Minister. President Lula also authorized the beginning of operations and construction work at four strategic airports in the state: Santarém, Marabá, Carajás, and Altamira.
"There are more than 30 projects underway in partnership with the federal government in the areas of urban development, mobility, and sanitation. We also have a direct agenda concerning airports, ports, and hospitals. These investments may not be directly tied to the COP30 agenda, but they have a direct impact on the city”
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY — Investments from Pró-Amazônia, led by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation [Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação/MCTI], were also announced. With an investment of BRL 650 million, the initiative reaffirms the public sector’s commitment to promoting innovation, research, and international cooperation in the Legal Amazon. “Talking about COP30 is talking about a historic opportunity for Brazil to reaffirm its leadership in the debate on climate change and sustainability. We are convinced that, without science, it is impossible to address the growing challenges of climate change,” said Minister Luciana Santos.
BASA — President Lula also attended the ceremony announcing the expansion of credit lines from Banco da Amazônia (BASA) for micro and small entrepreneurs. The protocols are for the accreditation of new companies authorized to operate BASA Acredita, the institution's Productive and Oriented Microcredit program. BASA's President, Luiz Lessa, emphasized that the bank is the main instrument for the development and support of the Federal Government's social inclusion policy in Brazil’s Northern Region, and listed its operations in municipalities in the Legal Amazon. "We operate in 772 of them. We have only 12% of the banking network, but we represent 55% of all development credit in the region. Default rates are much lower than in the rest of the financial system," he highlighted.