By Lucas Guaraldo*
On Wednesday 12th, during COP30 in Belém, Casa Balaio hosted the international event “Forests, Agriculture and the Green Economy of the Global South”, organized by IPAM (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia) in partnership with iCS (Instituto Clima e Sociedade), ADBI (Instituto do Banco Asiático de Desenvolvimento) and China’s Evergreen Environmental Institute.
The event brought together experts from various countries in the Global South, such as China, Indonesia, Bhutan, Mexico and Thailand – as well as Brazil – and promoted the exchange of experiences, challenges and successful climate actions in the areas of conservation, sustainable agriculture and green trade. Around 70 people took part in the day-long program.
“This is a very ambitious event that could change the way we think about the world, how we think about the Global South and its strength. The Global South has problems, but it is aware of them and is looking for solutions all the time. What this union gives me is hope that we can learn from each other and find real solutions to our development and food security problems,” celebrated André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM and Special Envoy for Civil Society at COP 30.
For Bambang Bodjonegoro, CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Global South is no longer just a laboratory for solutions imported from the developed world, but is leading the search for solutions to the region’s own challenges.
“The Global South is no longer a passive recipient of global trends, but an engine of innovation, resilience and sustainability. From Indonesia’s digital village to Chile’s maritime conservation zones, we see emerging economies leading the way in nature-based solutions, green trade and inclusive development,” he points out.
Peng Ren, executive director at EEI, added to the discussion: “We’ve got to stop waiting for others to tell us what to do. The Global South isn’t just rich in forests and biodiversity—we’ve got ideas, solutions, and the drive to lead. It’s time we set our own standards, based on our realities and values, not someone else’s blueprint. The Amazon isn’t just a place—it’s a symbol of what’s at stake. Let’s turn all this talk into real action, and show the world what leadership from the South truly looks like”.
Cooperation between Brazil and China becomes even more strategic given the centrality of the partnership in the international market. In 2024, China was responsible for around 28% of Brazil’s total exports, accounting for most of the flow of commodities and agricultural products.
“Brazil and China have a very complete and important relationship for international trade. This means that if we want to have a relationship with sustainable standards here, we can influence the rest of the market, as has already been done with meat exports. We have similar challenges, such as financing, energy and food production, forest protection. So we have the opportunity to collaborate more and create standards that are more in line with our reality,” says Thais Ferraz, program director at ICS (Instituto Clima e Sociedade).
In addition to the trade relationship, cooperation between China and Brazil has been central to creating solutions for the Global South. According to Wang Yi, president of China’s National Committee of Climate Experts and senior advisor at EEI, the exchange of experiences between the two countries has been the force behind the transformation of discourse into concrete climate action.
“Thirty years ago, we talked about sustainability as a concept, a philosophy, but we didn’t know how to live it. Now, after years of practical experience, we have managed to find ways to transition towards sustainable development in China,” he celebrates.
The partnership between the two countries will also be discussed at the Blue Zone on the 17th, in the Consortium’s pavilion at COP30. The event “Brazil and China towards sustainability in a shared future” will present the shared challenges between the countries, as well as pointing the way towards joint solutions for the Global South.
Trade and financing
Another focus of the meeting was the creation of optimized financing paths for developing countries, with a focus on the creation of adaptation and cooperation projects. In this scenario, cooperation between institutions in developing countries opens up ways to break deadlocks that arise in private market negotiations or in the creation of public policies.
“Trade does not have to be a barrier to sustainable development. It should be the new promoter of development. That’s why Brazil and China can really play a very significant role. And I think that, as civil society, we have a unique role to play. We can do work that transcends national borders and goes beyond government and business,” points out Zhang Jianyu, head of development at the International Green Development Initiative.
The panel also discussed solutions focused on financing conservation in developing countries. The fund presented by Brazil at COP 28 in Dubai seeks to reward countries that work to conserve and expand the coverage of their tropical forests. Unlike traditional funds, the TFFF aims to raise US$ 25 billion in public investments to leverage private resources. Since the start of the COP, the fund has already accumulated US$ 5.5 billion in investments, as well as commitments from the German government.
“The investments in the TFFF put us on the path of consolidating the tool and creating mechanisms for the TFFF to be open to the voices of the global south so that this tool follows the needs of these countries and not just another tool centralized in developed countries. This is about distributing money to those further ahead and generating impact solutions,” André Aquino, special advisor to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and negotiator for the creation of the fund.
Agriculture and adaptation
With the centrality of the partnership of countries from the Global South in agricultural production, such as soy and meat, creating sustainable paths and practices for the production and purchase of products becomes essential for the preservation of native vegetation and the planet’s water resources. In Brazil, the pressure of agricultural production has had a direct impact on the opening up of pasture and crop areas in the Cerrado and the Arc of Deforestation in the Amazon, requiring integrated solutions for the protection of biomes.
“In the Cerrado, most of the land is private, so supervision and control are less effective. In the Amazon we have the opposite. Controlling deforestation means monitoring public lands that are being illegally deforested, but in the Cerrado deforestation is legal because of the more permissive Forest Code. We need other instruments to encourage producers in the Cerrado to continue preserving their areas, market mechanisms,” explains Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director.
The partnership between countries of the Global South, in this context, ensures that the protection of forests and sustainable policies for the countryside are created based on the local reality of each country, valuing the traditional production of communities and farmers.
“Top-down solutions are very difficult to reach the territory. Instead, we need to be in the territories, together with the people, to come up with joint bottom-up solutions. Despite all the challenges, this group is responsible for 70% of food production in Brazil,” says Lucimar Souza, IPAM’s Territorial Development Director.
IPAM journalist, lucas.itaborahy@ipam.org.br
