President Tshisekedi Calls for Climate Justice at Belém Climate Summit Ahead of COP30
DRC’s Félix Tshisekedi Urges Climate Justice and Action at Belém Summit Before COP30 Launch
As a prelude to the 30th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30), the Belém Climate Summit officially opened on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the Amazon Convention Center Hangar in Belém, Brazil.
The opening ceremony brought together nearly fifty Heads of State, welcomed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, host of this major international event dedicated to global climate action.
Global Leaders Confront Unmet Climate Commitments
In his keynote address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the international community’s shortcomings in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“We have failed to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” Guterres declared, underscoring the urgency for renewed collective action.
Tshisekedi: “The Climate Crisis Is Also a Crisis of Justice”
Taking the floor, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo reminded delegates that the future of humanity depends largely on forests, which play a vital role in regulating the global climate.
He lamented that after a decade of climate pledges, concrete action has too often lagged behind commitments, calling for a rebalancing between mitigation and adaptation funding.
“Countries already suffering from climate shocks have a right to protection today, not just promises for tomorrow,” Tshisekedi emphasized.
The DRC President framed the climate emergency as not only an environmental challenge, but also one of justice and equity, insisting that developing nations on the frontlines of climate impacts deserve fair and immediate support.
DRC Presents the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor
Positioning the DRC as a country of climate solutions, President Tshisekedi denounced ecocide, describing it as the destruction of primary forests, protected areas, and national parks.
He also unveiled the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor, an ambitious integrated conservation and development initiative covering more than 540,000 square kilometers, including 100,000 square kilometers of primary forest.
This project, he explained, embodies the DRC’s commitment to combining forest preservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development for local communities.
