Clean cooking, reforestation, environmental education, carbon finance, organic waste management based on the principle of circular and inclusive bioeconomy, sustainable urban planning, and nature-based solutions: these are just some of the topics that AVSI and our Founding Member AVSI Brasil will bring to COP30 - the 30th Conference of the Parties - which will take place in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21.
At COP30, AVSI — building on over 50 years of experience in promoting sustainable and integral human development across more than 40 countries — will share best practices and recommendations drawn from its multisectoral programs in the field. This contribution stems from the conviction that environmental issues, ecological transition, and climate change are systemic challenges that require collective commitment and can never be separated from human development.
Working in sectors connected to the environment and climate change, AVSI embraces Pope Francis’ appeal at COP23 (2017), which invited everyone to engage in a free dialogue on how we are building the future of the planet, avoiding the risk of ideological drifts: "The environmental challenge we are experiencing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all" (Laudato si’, 14).
The program
Nature-based and locally led solutions: lessons from Africa and Latin America for global climate action
- Wednesday, November 12, 4:15 PM | UNFCCC, Blue Zone
Organized in collaboration with ACDI (another one of AVSI Founding Members, based in Argentina), AVSI Brasil, the Fauna & Flora International association, and Fundación Gran Chaco, this session will bring together African and Latin American leaders to illustrate how to create partnerships that promote “nature-based” solutions - active interventions based on natural and ecological elements to address social and environmental challenges - integrating national goals with strengthened climate and economic resilience.
Territories in action: municipal and multisectoral coordination for climate action
- Wednesday, November 12, 4:15 PM | Brazil Pavilion, Green Zone
Promoted by the National Front of Mayors of Brazil (FNP) with the participation of AVSI Brazil, Brazilian mayors, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), and Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment (MMA), the event will highlight how collaboration among local governments, the private sector, and civil society has produced concrete results in Brazil for achieving the country’s climate commitments.
Communities and environment: from education to action
- Thursday, November 13, 5:30 PM | Italian Pavilion “Made of Future,” Blue Zone
Promoted by Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE), the dialogue will focus on an AVSI project in Rwanda, scalable and based on an integrated approach. It will analyze a model involving rural communities and youth to promote sustainable behaviors and adaptation interventions through environmental education in schools and communities, alongside the development of green businesses (improved cooking systems, nurseries, reforestation) through youth cooperatives.
Carbon finance and new rules on integrity and transparency: what’s the future of clean cooking in Africa?
- Thursday, November 13, 8:00 PM | AquaPraça Pavilion
Organized in collaboration with the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI), the event will examine how carbon finance, if well designed, can mobilize resources and partnerships for high-impact projects, ensuring transparency and environmental, economic, and social benefits. The panel will offer concrete strategies, best practices, and recommendations to guide offset demand toward sustainable and inclusive interventions.
The experience of the first organic waste collection and treatment center in the Legal Amazon
- Thursday, November 20 | Arayara Amazon Climate Hub, Green Zone
Organized by AVSI Brazil, Instituto Pólis, Boa Vista Municipality (RR), the Amazon Integral Ecology Association (AAEI), and other institutions, the event will present the first large-scale urban composting initiative in Brazil’s Legal Amazon region. It promotes circular bioeconomy, social inclusion, and climate mitigation within Boa Vista’s public urban waste policy, reducing CO₂ emissions and producing organic fertilizer to increase agricultural productivity for indigenous and non-indigenous families.