– World attention turned to the Amazon on Thursday as the COP30 climate summit opened in Belém, northern Brazil, with the participation of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa alongside dozens of world leaders and representatives from around the world
According to the media office at the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic, President al-Sharaa will hold a series of bilateral meetings with heads of state and senior officials from both developing and industrialized nations to discuss cooperation in environmental protection, renewable energy, and sustainable development.
This visit marks the first time a Syrian president has attended a UN Climate Conference since the process began in 1995, underscoring Syria’s intention to re-engage in international efforts to address climate change and repair the damage inflicted on its natural resources by years of war and climate stress.
Nearly 50 heads of state and government responded to the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Prince William, who attended on behalf of King Charles III. Senior officials from the European Union and the United Nations also took part.
Observers noted that the absence of an official U.S. delegation altered the atmosphere of the opening sessions, giving greater space to developing countries to push for stronger funding commitments and more equitable mechanisms to support climate adaptation.
The Belém summit comes ten years after the landmark Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015), which aimed to keep global temperature rise “well below 2 degrees Celsius” and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
Subsequent conferences built on that foundation:
COP27 (Egypt, 2022) created the Loss and Damage Fund for vulnerable nations.
– COP28 (UAE, 2023) made history by naming fossil fuels as the main cause of the climate crisis.
– COP29 (Azerbaijan, 2024) focused on financing, though many environmental groups found the pledges insufficient.
By hosting COP30 in Belém, the “gateway to the Amazon,” Brazil seeks to highlight the role of tropical forests as vital carbon sinks and biodiversity reserves. Discussions center on evaluating national commitments, accelerating the global shift to clean energy, and strengthening forest conservation.
The event also coincides with the 33rd anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which laid the groundwork for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Participants say the challenge now is to move “from promises to implementation.”
“We aim to strengthen cooperation between developing and industrialised nations on sustainability and environmental recovery,” the Syrian Presidency said in an official statement broadcast Thursday.
