Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty and People-Centered Climate Action is theme of ministerial event at COP30

On the opening day of the conference, representatives from signatory countries and partner organizations gathered to discuss the document, which underscores how climate change is already impacting the most vulnerable populations

By Rafaela Ferreira/COP30

the opening day of COP30, the High-Level Ministerial Event “Combating Hunger and Poverty for Climate Justice” addressed the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and People-Centered Climate Action, launched during the Belém Climate Summit on November 7. Endorsed by 44 countries, the declaration underscores that the impacts of climate change are already severely affecting populations, particularly the most vulnerable.

The document calls on countries to continue investing in mitigation while prioritizing adaptation, especially people-centered measures such as social protection, crop insurance, and other mechanisms that strengthen community resilience. It further highlights that climate finance should be directed toward initiatives that create opportunities, jobs, and sustainable livelihoods for family farmers, traditional communities, and forest peoples.

This morning, during the COP30 opening ceremony, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated that global warming could drive millions of people into hunger and poverty, undermining decades of progress. He reaffirmed that one of Brazil’s key commitments in addressing climate change is to integrate climate action with social development and inequality-reduction policies.

Climate injustice

Today’s event was organized by Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Hunger Eradication [Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Assistência, Família e Combate à Fome/MDS], in partnership with the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

According to Minister of Social Development Wellington Dias, the climate crisis is not only environmental, but also human, economic, social, and “profoundly unequal.”

“Today, hunger and poverty are markers of climate injustice, and this Declaration represents a historic step forward. There can be no food security or climate resilience without those who care for the land, the water, the seeds, and production. Family farming supplies most of our food and accounts for a significant share of global agricultural diversity and value,” said the minister.

Also attending the event, Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, emphasized that strengthening social protection is essential to building resilience and supporting small producers and family farmers. “Creating a new cycle of prosperity means not leaving anyone behind. It requires a willingness to open new markets and to redirect financial flows toward developing countries,” she stated.

Expected results

The Declaration outlines three central commitments: strengthening social protection as the foundation for resilience; supporting small-scale food producers; and promoting just transitions for people living in forests and other environmentally sensitive ecosystems. The document establishes a 2030 progress review and calls for international cooperation and climate financing to operate more coherently to accelerate support for countries’ actions.

According to Minister Wellington Dias, the Declaration sends a clear message to the international financial system: “Climate financing needs to reach people, territories, family agriculture, and the economy of sociobiodiversity. At the same time, the Declaration calls on its signatory countries to take action — and on international actors, including United Nations agencies, climate funds, and multilateral banks, to support implementation and monitor progress and results,” he stated.

Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Reem Alabali-Radovan, also emphasized that while climate change affects everyone, it does not affect all people in the same way. “The most severe consequences fall upon those who have contributed the least to the problem, yet still strive to live free from hunger and poverty. This stark imbalance reveals a fundamental truth: international climate protection is not only about safeguarding the environment, but also about justice, equality, and human dignity,” she stated.

Read the declaration here