Energy & Climate
Countdown to COP30
His Majesty, The King and His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales mobilise action for climate and nature.
10 October 2025
Main image: Modern buildings and stilt houses in Belém, State of Para, Brazil
Amnesty International and 34 other organisations have released a joint letter welcoming the publication of the agreement between the Brazilian government and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on hosting the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil 10-21 November 2025.
The COP Host Country Agreement (HCA) is a legal accord between the UNFCCC and host country authorities that sets out the terms for organising the conference, including any immunities and privileges applicable beyond national laws. It is normally finalised months before the COP.
Civil society has long demanded an opportunity to comment on the draft and that the HCA is made public immediately after its signing.
This is so it can be scrutinised to assess the extent to which civic space at COP is protected.
Previously, Amnesty International has documented the lack of transparency around HCAs and shortcomings in human rights protections.
The COP29 agreement was never officially made public.
Amnesty International is also concerned that provisions on sponsorship appear to have been weakened, potentially enabling fossil fuel and other companies whose activities undermine the goals of the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to exert undue influence on the presidency.
It says all sponsorships and partnerships for COP30 should be made public immediately, and warns that the UNFCCC Secretariat must urgently put in place an accountability framework, including a conflict-of-interest policy, to be reflected in future host country agreements.
Amnesty International is also calling on authorities to address accommodation prices in Belém, which remain unaffordable for many civil society, observer organisations and Indigenous Peoples representatives.
The charity warns that this puts their participation at risk, despite the affordability clause (Article 7) in the COP30 agreement.
‘Civil society’s efforts to achieve transparency in host country agreements that are signed before the major UN climate conference have paid off with the publication of the COP30 agreement on the UNFCCC website.
‘We are pleased to see that several recommendations from civil society from previous years have been implemented, and we urge the UNFCCC to ensure that these are carried over in future host country agreements.
‘It’s commendable that the COP30 host country agreement includes a commitment to uphold the human rights of all participants and to ensure that all aspects of the meetings are planned and organised in an inclusive and non-discriminatory manner.
‘However, the agreement includes no explicit guarantee by Brazil to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly outside the Blue Zone for people, whether Brazilian nationals or not, who wish to express their views, including on COP30.’
ANN HARRISON
Amnesty International’s Climate Justice Policy Advisor
His Majesty, The King and His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales mobilise action for climate and nature.
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