HAVET & VANHUFFEL – Association d’avocats
World – COP30 is taking place in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was opened for signature at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92). It marked the beginning of the multilateral regime on climate change.
In line with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” the regime recognizes the obligation of developed countries to lead efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to provide financial resources, technology, and capacity-building support for mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.
The regime is built on five pillars: mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity-building. In addition, other issues have gained prominence in the discussions, such as loss and damage, just transition, gender equality, Indigenous peoples, youth, agriculture, and oceans.
The UNFCCC established the Conference of the Parties (COP), the body responsible for making decisions on the implementation of commitments undertaken by countries to address climate change. The COP brings together all signatory and ratifying countries of the Convention. Currently, 198 countries participate in the UNFCCC, making it one of the largest multilateral bodies within the United Nations system.
The COP is supported by a Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and a Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). The COP also serves as the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) and to the Paris Agreement (CMA).COPs are the annual summits of world leaders on climate change, generally held in November or
December. In addition to the COP, the CMP, the CMA, the SBI, and the SBSTA also meet during these sessions.
To access the COP30 website, follow the evolution of the discussions taking place there, and learn about the conclusions that will be reached, follow the link: https://cop30.br/en/about-cop30/what-is-the-cop.