Draft Belem Climate Package Sets Stage for Final COP30 Push

The draft Belem Political Package, which is anticipated to direct the next stages in global climate action, was released on Tuesday, marking the start of the final phase of deliberations at the UN COP30 Climate Summit.

In a letter to all nations, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago urged them to work "side by side, in task-force mode" to complete the package quickly, fairly, and with consideration for everyone.

After discussions, the draft texts are anticipated to be approved on Wednesday.

The annual Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being held in Belem, in the Amazon area of Brazil, from November 10 to November 21. Attendees include negotiators from over 190 nations.

The COP30 Presidency has published 11 draft documents across issues, while six topics remain under negotiation.

Draft texts have been released on matters such as climate-related trade restrictions, the synthesis report on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the 1.5-degree Celsius ambition and implementation gap, Article 9.1 and Article 13 of the Paris Agreement, the Global Goal on Adaptation, the global stocktake, Standing Committee on Finance, Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility among others.

On condition of anonymity, an official said hectic parleys are taking place to hammer out differences and bring out final documents on the drafts, mainly the Presidency document.

"The Presidency has asked the parties for an accelerated discussion on the draft so that a consensus can be arrived at by tomorrow. After releasing the draft, the Presidency is now hearing back from the parties and will consider suggestions overnight," she added.

The different teams, including ministerial and technical, are reporting back to the Presidency with their views on the drafts.

"Hopefully, a final statement will be out tomorrow on the main draft. Rest of the COP agenda drafts are likely to be ready by Friday. A conversation is also going on regarding COP31 and COP32," the official said.

The Presidency suggested recognising climate change as a shared human issue in the draft titled Global Mutirao: uniting humanity in a global mobilisation against climate change and encouraged parties to respect human rights duties while pursuing climate action.

It urged the remaining countries to submit updated NDCs as soon as possible and praised the 123 that have already done so for the upcoming policy cycle.

One of the nations that has not yet submitted updated NDCs is India. India will release its 2035 NDC by December, according to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav's announcement on Monday.

In order to increase climate finance for developing nations to at least USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035, the draft Belem package urges all stakeholders to collaborate. The draft calls on rich nations to boost climate finance flows, expressing worry that the USD 100 billion annual funding objective is still missed, with just roughly USD 60 billion received on average.

The Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3 trillion, which was unveiled on 5 November, calls on businesses, banks, and governments to raise USD 1.3 trillion a year by 2035 to assist developing nations in addressing the effects of climate change and making the shift to low-carbon paths.

Another draft emphasises how the Paris Agreement's financial support must be clear and predictable while still being flexible enough to accommodate changing requirements.

A draft on the Green Climate Fund notes its increased approvals, with USD 19.3 billion sanctioned for 336 projects in 134 developing countries.

The 2015 Paris Agreement aims to hold global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed by 1.3 degrees, largely due to fossil fuel use.

The UN Emissions Gap Report, published earlier this month, warned that current policies put the world on track for 2.8 degrees Celsius warming by 2100.