Who are chosen by COP30 to mobilize debates

The presidency of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30) announced on Wednesday, 14, thirty names that will act as mobilizers of debates related to the event in all regions of the world.

The list includes names such as the Brazilian first lady, Janja da Silva; former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; and surfer Maya Gabeira; between others. (See the full list below).

Special envoys will act in direct contact with the areas for which they were chosen to make discussions, bring messages from the presidency and reap demands of these groups to present to the summit. Ten strategic regions of the planet were defined: Middle East; South Asia; Africa; Oceania; North America; Europe; Latin America; Asian east; Amazonian private sector; and Amazonian civil society.

In addition to these regions, representatives were selected for 20 sectors: civil society; Forests; Unions; Human rights and fair transition; energy; health; Information integrity; women; racial equality and peripheries; culture and creative industry; Bioeconomics; Amazonian subnational governments; Business sector; Oceans; sports; Family farming; agriculture; urban solutions; Brazilian forum for climate change; and indigenous peoples.

“Envied will function as resonance boxes of sectors and geographies, true channels and facilitators of the flow of information and perceptions of their respective areas,” said the president of COP30, ambassador André Corrêa do Lago.

COP30 will take place from November 10 to 21 in Belém, Pará. The conference is the main global meeting to discuss actions to combat climate change. In this edition, countries will set new goals under the Paris Agreement, which turns 10.

See the profile of some of the envoys:

• Janja da Silva: Sociologist, with MBA in Social Management and Sustainability and Specialization in History and City, and First Lady of Brazil, Janja will be the representative for the theme “Women”.

• Jacinda Ardern: Former First Minister of New Zealand, she is currently a patron of the Christchurch Call Foundation, where she deals with the fight against extremism. Jacinda will be sent special to Oceania.

• Maya Gabeira: Giant wave surfer and environmental activist, Maya will be the representative of “Sports”.

• Jurema Werneck: Executive Director of Amnesty International and Human Rights activist, the doctor Jurema Werneck will act on the theme “Racial Equality and Periphery”.

• Adnan Amin: Kenyan diplomat and economist, Amin was CEO of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. He led the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in New York. Amin will be sent to the Middle East.

• ARUNABAH GHOSH: He is a co-president of the global board of the World Economic Forum on Energy Nexus and UN Committee vice president for Development Policies. Founder of the Energy, Environment and Water Council (CEEW), one of Asia’s main climate organizations, will be the special envoy in the southern continent.

• Carlos Lopes: The economist served as executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission to Africa and currently chairs the African Foundation Council for the Climate. Lopes will be sent to Africa.

• Jonathan Pershing: Pershing has participated in climate negotiations since the 1990s, as well as being part of the intergovernmental panel team on Climate Change (IPCC), winner of the Nobel Prize in 2007. He is currently the Environment Director of the William Foundation and Flora Hewlett, and acted as the deputy of presidential envoy John Kerry. It will be the representative of North America.

• Laurence Tubiana: French diplomat, Laurence Tubiana was one of the main responsible for making the Paris Agreement and acted as Ambassador for climate change in France. He is currently CEO of the European Foundation for Climate and will be sent special to Europe.

• Patrícia Espinosa: Mexican diplomat, was executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and acted in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. He is CEO of the OnePoint5 consultancy and will be sent special to Latin America.

• Xie Zhenhua: China’s representative for the theme, Zhenhua acted in climate negotiations between China and the United States, and in the Paris Agreement. He is currently president of the California-China Climate Institute and will be the Special Envoy for the East Asia.

In addition to the names mentioned earlier, other experts will be part of the group of notables announced by COP30:

Denis Minev (Amazonian private sector);

Joaquim Belo (Amazonian civil society);

André Guimarães (civil society);

Beto Veríssimo (forests);

Clemente Ganz (Unions);

Denise Dora (human rights and fair transition);

Jalia Gannouum (energy);

Ethel Maciel (Health);

Frederico Assis (Information Integrity);

Maguy Etlin (Culture and Creative Industry);

Marcelo Behar (Bioeconomy);

Marcello Brito (Amazonian subnational governments);

Marina Grossi (business sector);

Marinez Scherer (Oceans);

Paulo Petersen (Family Farming);

Philip Yang (Urban Solutions);

Roberto Rodrigues (Agriculture);

Sérgio Xavier (Brazilian Forum for Climate Change);

Sinéia do Vale (indigenous peoples).