Brazil names top climate negotiator as COP30 president

Brazil has named seasoned climate negotiator André Aranha Corrêa do Lago as President of COP30, marking a shift from the last two UN climate change conferences, which were presided over by oil and gas veterans.

The next UN COP is taking place in the Amazon gateway city of Belém from November 10 to 21, 2025, and Brazil is setting the tone by appointing its current Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ secretary of Climate, Energy and Environment to the top role.

66-year-old diplomat Aranha Corrêa do Lago was Brazil’s director of the Department of Environment and its chief negotiator on climate change from 2011 to 2013. He has also served as the Brazilian ambassador to Japan, India and Bhutan.

“It is an immense honor, and I believe that Brazil can play an incredible role in this COP. We will have to build it together. The government, civil society, businesses, all are essential stakeholders in the initial conformation of what Brazil wants from this COP. Together we will be able to create a COP that will be remembered with great enthusiasm,” he commented on his appointment.

The bounce-back COP

COP30 is already being touted as ‘the bounce-back COP’ after several years of disappointing progress and climate negotiations largely led by fossil fuel lobbyists.

Marcelo Behar, former VP of Sustainability at Brazilian cosmetics firm Natura & Co, now Senior Advisor at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), called Brazil’s choice of COP30 President “excellent”, highlighting his “solid and coherent track record on the climate agenda”.

In the days following the appointment, WBCSD organised a meeting with a Brazilian CEO organisation and COP30 Executive Director Ana Toni (Brazil’s Climate Change Secretary) to discuss how businesses can support the climate agenda in Belém.

“I do feel that this meeting can really bring back the energy the world needs to build a better and cleaner future. The Bounce Back COP is coming,” added Behar.

Climate NGOs welcome COP30 appointment

Other observers welcomed the two appointments, which brightened the mood in climate circles after newly inaugurated President Trump announced the United States’ exit from the Paris Agreement.

NGO Climate Action Network Executive Director Tasneem Essop commented: Ambassador Corrêa do Lago and Ana Toni bring exceptional expertise and leadership to this process, and we welcome their appointments. Their success will demand courage, innovation, and a relentless focus on justice and equity.  

“The stakes at COP30 could not be higher. This conference must deliver bold, urgent, and transformative action. We look forward to engaging closely with the Presidency team to ensure that COP30 addresses the challenges and becomes a landmark moment for climate justice and vulnerable people across the world. We believe this is possible with or without the US administration.”