- Diplomats, policymakers, and experts from India, Brazil, France, Azerbaijan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka explored climate finance, sustainable fuels, and climate resilience in the run-up to COP30.

New Delhi, 2 September 2025: With less than 70 days to COP30 in Belém, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Embassy of Brazil today co-hosted ‘COP30 Conversations: The Alchemy of Solidarity’ in New Delhi. The day-long dialogue was organised in partnership with the World Bank, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the India Climate Collaborative, Jindal Global University, and Plataforma CIPÓ.

The convening brought together senior voices including H.E. André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President Designate; Ms Ana Toni, CEO of COP30; Dr Jonathan Pershing, COP30 Special Envoy for North America; H.E. Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, Ambassador of Brazil to India and Bhutan; Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO of CEEW and COP30 Special Envoy for South Asia; Dr Anshu Bharadwaj, Programme Director, NITI Aayog, and Ambassador Dr Mohan Kumar, Professor & Dean, Strategic & International Initiatives, Jindal Global University, among others. Together, they underscored that solidarity—through finance, innovation, diplomacy, resilience, and implementation—must drive global climate ambition from Baku to Belém and beyond, with India championing pathways for the Global South.

The discussions also spotlighted India’s pivotal role in championing Global South priorities. From spearheading the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to steering the Global Biofuels Alliance, India has consistently bridged domestic innovation with international cooperation. Participants noted that India’s ability to design scalable, inclusive solutions across hard-to-abate sectors, digital public infrastructure, and sustainable fuels makes it central to building a climate architecture that is both ambitious and equitable.

H.E. André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President Designate, noted, “As we approach Belém, we must recognise that different stakeholders—civil society, developing countries, developed countries, and business—each have their own expectations. The challenge for COP30 is to find a balance that strengthens the climate regime while also expanding it beyond what has too often been a restricted and bureaucratic process. This COP must open its doors to more actors who will be essential for implementation. We already have more than 500 initiatives and pledges, of which around 300 remain active. Belém should be the COP of implementation—where we showcase these initiatives as a true granary of solutions. It is not just about what has been negotiated, but about demonstrating results through an action agenda that translates solidarity into practice.”

Ms Ana Toni, CEO of COP30, added, “COP30 rests on four pillars—the summit, the negotiations, its Action Agenda, and the mobilisation for implementation. After a decade of negotiations since the Paris Agreement and the completion of the rulebook in Baku, the real urgency now is implementation. That requires not only diplomats but also ministers of energy, transport, agriculture, and others who know why progress is lagging—whether due to finance, capacity, or land. This COP must make solidarity concrete—by agreeing on the USD 1.3 trillion annual goal, enabling technology exchange, and moving from promises to practice. Building on Brazil’s G20 presidency and moving towards South Africa’s, COP30 must be the COP of implementation, linking finance to both mitigation and adaptation.”

Dr Jonathan Pershing, COP30 Special Envoy for North America, remarked, “What began in Paris as a process of negotiation is now shifting in Belém to one of implementation. We are moving from setting goals to delivering them. That requires a broader coalition—governments, businesses, investors, universities, consumers, civil society, and subnational authorities—who together bring the resources and capacity to act. Success will rest on building trust through action, not a single declaration, but thousands of initiatives across countries, cities, and communities. That is the complexity and opportunity of COP30: to embed implementation widely and make it durable.”

Moderating the plenary, Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, CEEW and COP30 Special Envoy for South Asia, said, “In a difficult year for global cooperation, this dialogue affirms that solidarity is necessary–and still possible with the right set of actors. India and Brazil stand at the heart of this moment, shaping not just negotiations but the architecture of solutions. Climate leadership is not a crown worn only on one head; it must be built by many hands, in good faith, with a common purpose. We can forge bilateral partnerships and smart ‘coalitions of the doing’. Getting things done is what will rebuild trust in multilateralism. The road to Belém must show that multilateralism can move beyond words to results.”

On the occasion, CEEW launched its new study, Increasing Climate Investment in Developing Countries: Proposals for the Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3T. Building on COP29’s high-level targets, the brief outlines a six-point framework to mobilise USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2030—strengthening policies and financial systems, freeing fiscal space, scaling concessional capital for adaptation, targeting public finance for mitigation, bolstering development finance institutions, and deepening South-South cooperation.

The convening also explored how climate action must treat the atmosphere as a global commons—with mechanisms that ensure delivery against commitments, and with solutions that can scale across borders. Sessions underscored that COP30 must be a moment of implementation, discussing the financing roadmap to USD 1.3 trillion, the role of the Global Biofuels Alliance in scaling sustainable fuels, the potential of digital public infrastructure to transform transparency and access in climate action, and pathways for resilient infrastructure in the Global South.

Alongside the plenary voices, the dialogue featured contributions from across the international climate landscape. This included representatives of the World Bank, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, ProsperETE, ClimateWorks Foundation, Reliance, GIZ, GAIL, UN-Habitat, Plataforma CIPÓ, Brookings Institution, Observer Research Foundation, ICRIER, Agence Française de Développement, Beckn Labs, Reveille Energy, and the International Air Transport Association, among others. Senior diplomats from India, Brazil, France, Azerbaijan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka also joined the conversation.

The COP30 Conversations reaffirmed that COP30 in Belém must be a moment of delivery—where international cooperation, led by the Global South and supported by partners worldwide, translates into decisive action for people and the planet.

For media queries and interviews, contact:
Tulshe Agnihotri – tulshe.agnihotri@ceew.in 

About CEEW

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) — a homegrown institution with headquarters in New Delhi — is among the world’s leading climate think tanks. The Council is also often ranked among the world’s best-managed and independent think tanks. It uses data, integrated analysis, and strategic outreach to explain — and change — the use, reuse, and misuse of resources. It prides itself on the independence of its high-quality research and strives to impact sustainable development at scale in India and the Global South. In over 14 years of operation, CEEW has impacted over 400 million lives and engaged with over 20 state governments. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @CEEWIndia or on LinkedIn for the latest updates.