In his second letter, the Brazilian presidency of COP30 has called for new global climate governance mechanisms. André Aranha Corrêa do Lago argued that “the international community should investigate how climate cooperation could become better equipped to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and of COP decisions by aggregating efforts that are currently fragmented.” He has suggested that debates at the UN General Assembly could explore innovative governance approaches to better support the rapid sharing of information and knowledge, as well as leveraging networks, aggregating efforts and resources, within and outside the UN. Effectively, do Lago is looking for a systemic approach that better aligns efforts and actors, while still keeping the UNFCCC as the centre of climate negotiation, coordination and rule-making. The proposal follows one made by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the 2024 G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Lula had proposed creating a “United Nations Climate Change Council” to help countries implement commitments they made to address climate change as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. “There’s no point in negotiating new commitments if we don’t have an effective mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” said Lula. “We need stronger climate governance.” According to Reuters, do Lago told reporters that “The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement don’t have the strength or mandate to take this forward, so we’re proposing to reconsider how we can institutionally strengthen implementation.”
