Brazil Assembles Latin American Front for COP30

Brazil and Mexico are leading the push to build a front of Latin American and Caribbean countries and, with it, try to sidestep contentious issues within the region in climate negotiations. The goal is to create consensus and agreements to advance topics at COP30, the UN climate conference being held this year for the first time in Latin America in Belem, capital of the state of Para. The idea arose from the perception that Latin America is experiencing an escalation of internal divisions that have begun to generate direct clashes at the highest levels of diplomacy. The front would serve as a forum for these countries to pool efforts on common issues for example, more climate funding. "In some way, this dialogue process seeks to give countries the opportunity to know each others positions and, as far as possible, to ally, to have the trust and backing to act actively in their respective negotiating groups," says Patricia Espinosa, current special envoy of COP30 for Latin America and Mexican diplomat. After months of dialogue between delegations, the front began operating in Mexico, resulting in a joint declaration of support for Brazils presidency of COP30. The letter has two footnotes. Argentinas is against addressing gender issues. Venezuela, for its part, resists dealing with the reduction of oil use the country has the worlds largest reserve of the fuel. The aim is for the front to address these hurdles. Countries with good relations can act so that, even without consensus among nations, they act together in defense of common issues. "[The countries commit to] making the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean a single voice at COP30 on all matters of common interest to our region," says the letter.