Brasil deepens dialogue with civil society on COP30 finance circle agenda

The Brazilian Ministry of Finance hosted the second round of webinars for the initiative, gathering national and international contributions for the Circle's report, expected to be finalized in October

On Thursday, July 24, the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, in partnership with the Institute for Climate and Society (Instituto Clima e Sociedade/ICS), held the second session of a global webinar series. The session focused on the COP30 Finance Ministers’ Circle and its collaboration with civil society. Coordinated by Ambassador Tatiana Rosito, head of the Ministry’s Secretariat for International Affairs, the gathering promoted dialogue among representatives from various sectors to draft the Circle’s report and invited participating organizations to contribute and share their reflections.

The Finance Ministers’ Circle, an initiative led by the Brazilian Ministry of Finance at the invitation of the Brazilian COP30 Presidency, aims to strengthen the role of finance ministries in shaping the global climate agenda. It also seeks to contribute to the development of the Baku-Belem Roadmap, which targets mobilizing at least USD 1.3 trillion in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.

“This work represents something new,” Ambassador Tatiana Rosito stated during the webinar. “While many of the priorities we’re discussing have been addressed in various forums for years, what’s new—and more recent—is that finance ministries are now assuming greater responsibility, and even leadership, in the climate agenda.” She added that since the G20, the federal government has prioritized sustainable finance in global discussions.

Ambassador Rosito also emphasized that the Circle's role is not one of negotiation, but rather mobilization and engagement toward a structured financial agenda designed to clarify and support the Roadmap's key themes. “We want to reinforce the idea that finance should be part of the solution, not the problem,” she concluded.

Civil society organizations raised several key issues, including the need for greater investment in sustainable urban solutions, ensuring respect for Indigenous rights in climate policymaking, and addressing the challenges, small and medium-sized enterprises face in accessing climate finance.

“One of our main concerns is ensuring that this reform process includes participatory planning throughout—not only once the roadmap is finalized, but also during its implementation,” said Ms. Ivahanna Larrosa of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development (Coalizão por Direitos Humanos em Desenvolvimento/CHRD). “Otherwise, we risk placing more pressure on territories and communities, as we’ve unfortunately seen in many energy-related investments.”

The following organizations participated in the webinar and offered feedback: the French Development Agency (Agência Francesa de Desenvolvimento/AFD), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (Grupo de Financiamento Climático da América Latina e Caribe/GFLAC), the Institute for Socioal and Economic Studies (Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos/INESC), the Arayara International Institute (Instituto Internacional Arayara), Mercy Corps, and PowerShift Africa.

The received suggestions will be considered during the review of the document and in drafting the second version of the report, alongside inputs gathered from the first webinar, side events, and an open online form. The final report is slated for presentation on October 8 at a ministerial meeting.