GLOBE will be at COP30 in two capacities – as the UNFCCC Focal Point for the Parliamentary Group and as an ECOSOC-accredited Observer organisation bringing climate and legislative expertise to COP discussions.

BACKGROUND

GLOBE is the oldest legislative organisation working on climate change and sustainable development and was founded in 1991 by the world’s leading lawmakers, including Senators Al Gore and John Kerry, to provide a platform for parliamentary engagement at the landmark Rio Earth Summit in 1992. Since then, GLOBE has taken the lead in organising summits and events at UNFCCC COPs and has had a presence at every COP since COP1 in Berlin (1995). GLOBE members have been instrumental in the creation of national climate change laws, policies and regulations which have increased in number from approximately 50+ at COP3 in 1997 to more than 5000 across the world now. 

ROLE AS THE FOCAL POINT

Formerly a membership-based organisation, GLOBE has served as the first Focal Point at the UNFCCC for parliamentarians since COP26 (Glasgow) in 2021. Parliamentarians are not recognised as a formal constituency at the United Nations, unlike the nine formal constituencies, which include local government, environmental NGOs, trade unions, business and industry, youth, indigenous peoples, research institutions and others. Being a formal constituency at the UNFCCC provides greater access to the work, processes and initiatives of the UNFCCC and the COP Presidency. Parliamentarians have the lesser status of an Informal Group, along with faith-based groups and disabled peoples’ organisations.

PARLIAMENTARIANS – FROM INFORMAL GROUP TO FORMAL CONSTITUENCY?

Since COP29, GLOBE has worked with Brazilian parliamentary partners to bring attention to the value of formalising parliamentarians as an official UNFCCC Constituency and have supported a letter towards this. We would encourage all members of parliament to read this letter and consider supporting it. Link to the letter here.

Since initiating the role of the Focal Point for the Informal Parliamentary Group, with the support of the UNFCCC secretariat and a range of parliamentary organisations and networks, GLOBE has served as the first resource and coordination hub for parliamentarians, improving their awareness of, access to and engagement in the COP and related processes. As an independent, non-partisan organisation, GLOBE has built an enviable global database of parliamentary champions and groups from across the political spectrum, united by a commitment to the goals of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. GLOBE now brings together more than 25 different parliamentary networks and organisations in different geographies and themes, providing them – and parliaments across the world – with free resources and insights to navigate the annual COP process and support domestic implementation.

At COP30, GLOBE will not be hosting the Parliamentary Pavilion, as at COP29 and COP28, due to financial constraints. Instead, we had organised the Pre-COP30 Parliamentary Forum in Rio de Janeiro during Rio Climate Action Week, in partnership with leading Brazilian parliamentary organisations, and released a number of key reports. (Links provided below.)

GLOBE RESOURCES FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS AT COP30

At COP30, we will be offering a number of resources and activities across the two-week period, to support the work and impact of the parliamentary constituency. This dedicated section of our website provides further links to these resources and activities. 

As every year, the events will be brought together in a comprehensive Parliamentary Calendar, to be released on 1st November 2025 and updated on a regular basis, to enable parliamentarians to plan their engagements at COP30 (including virtually). 

We also encourage all parliaments to host climate-related events in their own Chambers and Constituencies to coincide with COP30 and would be happy to support and promote in the COP30 Parliamentary Calendar. As it is not possible for all interested parliamentarians to attend COPs in person, we have long advocated for and supported parliamentarians to organise events (talks, hearings, etc.) to coincide with COPs in their own Chambers and Constituencies, as appropriate, to emphasise the need for domestic implementation and bring attention to actions being taken.

At COP30 in Belem, we will also be facilitating a range of bilaterals between different parliaments and regions, as well as working to ensure MP speakers in events hosted by the UNFCCC’s nine constituencies and others to ensure parliamentary inclusion and visibility.