COP30 – World leaders pledge to put hunger and poverty at the heart of climate action

• COP30 opens with breakthrough Belém Declaration, led by Brazil, linking climate action to hunger eradication, food access, and social protection.
• 43 countries and the EU signed the declaration calling for expanded social protection systems to help communities withstand climate shocks.
• Small-scale farmers, fishers, pastoralists, and Indigenous Peoples are recognised as both the most affected by climate change and the stewards of sustainable food systems.

Belém Declaration on hunger, poverty, and climate action

Global leaders meeting in Brazil have signed the Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Human-Centered Climate Action, a groundbreaking pledge to put social justice, hunger, and poverty alleviation at the heart of global climate efforts.

For the first time at the highest level, leaders of 43 countries and the EU have committed to addressing the needs of those most affected by poverty, hunger, and exposure to climate shocks – recognising the unequal impacts of climate change.

Social protection and fair development finance

The Declaration identifies climate breakdown as a social crisis that requires social protection, decent work, and fair development finance. The pledge sets the tone for the opening of COP30, signalling that this year’s climate negotiations will be defined not just by carbon targets, but by demands for justice and equality.

Spearheaded by Brazil’s President Lula, the Declaration follows the creation of the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty last year, and Brazil’s official removal from the UN Hunger Map in July – after lifting more than 40 million people out of food insecurity in just two years. Building on this hunger-beating success, it signals a broader shift towards placing the communities most exposed to climate shocks at the centre of climate action.

It commits governments to expand climate-responsive social protection, strengthen support for smallholder and Indigenous food producers, and remove the barriers facing developing countries – including unsustainable debt levels. It also calls for scaling up climate finance to at least USD $300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035, prioritising social protection, smallholder resilience, and just transitions.

Recognition of small-scale farmers

IPES-Food welcomes the declaration’s recognition of small-scale farmers, fishers, and pastoralists as both the most affected by climate change and the stewards of sustainable food systems and ecosystems. However, political courage will be tested in implementation. The panel noted that the commitments on agriculture stop short of distinguishing between fossil-fuel-dependent industrial farming and the agroecological approaches needed to restore ecosystems and feed the world in the face of climate breakdown. 

IPES-Food calls on governments to seize this opportunity to align climate, food, and social policy, and to invest in agroecology and food sovereignty as the foundation of a fossil-free and hunger-free future.

Elisabetta Recine, IPES-Food panel expert

In just two years, Brazil has lifted 40 million people from the ravages of hunger through concerted political action that puts family farmers, Indigenous, and traditional communities, and access to healthy local food at the centre of decision-making.

This declaration is about taking Brazil’s hunger-beating formula global. The message is clear – tackling hunger, inequality, and climate change must go hand in hand. That’s a powerful message to open these international climate negotiations in Belém.

Elisabetta Recine, IPES-Food panel expert, and President of the Brazilian National Food and Nutrition Security Council (Consea), who advises the Lula government on its hunger policy

Raj Patel, IPES-Food panel expert

Brazil’s recent history proves that when governments back family farmers and prioritise social policies, hunger falls. It’s good to see this politics reflected in the Belém Declaration, which signals a welcome shift – from shiny climate pledges to real-world impact on people.

The declaration also deserves credit for calling out unjust debt, one of the biggest drivers of climate destruction. But the real test is this: will its signatories have the political spine to stand up to big banks and big meat? Because without challenging the industries driving climate destruction, it’s just more talk

Raj Patel, IPES-Food panel expert