Closing statement by Brice Böhmer, Climate & Environment Lead, Transparency International

As COP30 concluded, we must confront both the modest gains and the limitations of this summit. Branded the “COP of Truth”, what unfolded in Belém often fell short of that promise. It did little to reestablish the legitimacy and effectiveness of global climate negotiations, with the final moments highlighting the need for reform to strengthen this crucial multilateral process.

Civil society, especially Indigenous and frontline communities, also reminded negotiators what is truly at stake. Stories from communities such as the Garifuna - whose lands were seized for palm oil expansion - underscored that climate justice cannot be separated from human rights, land sovereignty and transparency. Several safeguards were included in the just transition work programme.

But these gains were overshadowed by an overwhelming presence of polluting industries. Once again, fossil fuel lobbyists outnumbered many delegations from the most climate-affected countries. Rising participation from industrial agriculture and carbon capture and storage lobbyists added yet another layer of corporate influence, promoting narratives and solutions that risk delaying the real transition the world urgently demands and trying to weaken most needed rules for carbon markets. No further progress was reflected on fossil fuels or deforestation, with negotiators leaving only with a promise from the COP President that Brazil will create two roadmaps.

While industry actors enjoyed unprecedented access, many Indigenous and frontline representatives struggled to be heard. Although the COP30 President and CEO engaged directly with demonstrators, the heavy security presence reinforced a sense of exclusion. When those most affected by the climate crisis are sidelined while those most responsible shape the agenda, the credibility of the COP process is fundamentally undermined.

Looking ahead to COP31, the way forward must be clear. The UNFCCC should require enhanced, verifiable disclosure of all delegate affiliations and implement robust conflict-of-interest policies to protect negotiations from undue influence. The involvement of fossil fuel industries must be limited, transparent, and tightly regulated. The commitment to information integrity in the preamble of the Global Mutirão should be translated into concrete measures to ensure climate policy is grounded in facts rather than manipulation, and to protect communities facing targeted attacks and intimidation.

Above all, climate justice must guide every decision. Indigenous peoples, local communities, and women environmental defenders - now explicitly recognised in the Belém gender action plan - must not only be present but have real influence in the negotiations.

The Global Ethical Stocktake, launched by the COP30 Presidency, appealed to put ethics at the centre of climate negotiations. But unless the structural issues laid bare in Belém are urgently addressed, progress will remain fragile. We leave COP30 determined to ensure that future climate negotiations are shaped by truth and by people, not by polluters.

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