Eyes on Belem 2025: Building a sustainable Amazonian rainforest with decent jobs from the ground up
The conference, organised in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and Union to Union, was marked by a highly qualified debate, both technically and politically. The 60 participants agreed on a course of action for the next 15 months, focusing on three priorities:
1. Securing Decent Work and Sustainable Buildings in Infrastructure Projects for COP30
In November 2025, Brazil will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP30 - in Belém do Pará. The event is expected to attract more than 60,000 people to northern Brazil, necessitating a massive infrastructure project over the next 15 months. This includes interventions in road infrastructure, urban mobility, water supply, sanitation, and adapting the structure of ports and river quays.
However, contradictions have already surfaced. Many projects are not as sustainable as the climate emergency demands, repeating models that do not work for the Amazon and ignoring the sustainable use of the forest and riversides. Moreover, the tight deadlines and the multitude of infrastructure projects risk workers' safety. In recent times, virtually all mega-events have been accompanied by fatalities on-site and severe human rights violations.
The construction work for the planet's largest climate event must ensure sustainable building practices, transparency, and adherence to labour standards. International labour inspections should monitor working conditions, a crucial step in safeguarding workers' rights, ensuring that the legacy of COP30 improves the lives of the people of Pará.
2. It's Time for Amazonian Workers to Speak to the World
The fact that COP30 is being held for the first time in an Amazonian capital raises expectations regarding the adoption of measures to conserve forests and combat the climate crisis. However, trade unions and other social movements are often excluded from the 'green rooms' where strategies are defined. Nothing should be decided about the Amazon without the participation of Amazonians. It is essential to guarantee visibility for the peoples of the forest and enable their voices to be heard in the process of developing alternatives for the future of the planet.
Promoting decent work and the sustainable use of natural resources, including forests, is vital for the future of the communities that depend on these ecosystems. A systemic change is needed to provide a safe and healthy working environment for the 33 million people who work in the forestry sector worldwide. Despite progress in recent decades, forests remain dangerous workplaces, with a high incidence of accidents and work-related illnesses. The Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants are dying. We must reverse this scenario.
The Amazonian Trade Union Network launched the manifesto, "Towards COP-30: Fighting Deforestation and Precarious Work," which was presented to Brazilian authorities from the Ministry of Environment and the Extraordinary Secretary for COP30. In the manifesto, trade union organisations representing the timber and forestry sectors demand the creation of an Amazonian Agenda for Decent Work (AATD) before COP30.
"We need to take advantage of the region's leading role to present a more structured plan that focuses on generating employment and income, with decent jobs, rights, the formalisation of informal employment, and union representation as part of the agenda to protect the Amazon rainforest and the world's other rainforests through the creation of the Global Rainforest Union Network," declared Nilton Freitas, BWI Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.
3. Rebuilding Safely and Sustainably After Climate Disasters
Latin America and the Caribbean are highly exposed, vulnerable, and heavily impacted by climate change, a situation amplified by high levels of inequality, poverty, and informality. As climate change worsens, extreme events such as floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; forest fires in Chile; and hurricanes in the Caribbean are becoming more frequent and intense. However, most communities remain ill-prepared for a climate-changed future.
After disasters, affected countries often experience a sense of urgency to restart development quickly, facing the risk of entering into cycles of "destruction-reconstruction-destruction," repeating past mistakes, creating negative environmental impacts, and exacerbating the vulnerabilities of workers and residents to future disasters.
Our ability to break the cycle of climate disasters will determine future adaptation and progress in disaster and climate resilience. To rebuild more safely and sustainably after crises, workers' representatives must be included in post-crisis recovery and reconstruction plans for building resilience or adaptation after extreme events.
Bottom Line
Our conference, characterised by its technical expertise and political relevance, demonstrates BWI's resolute stance on the climate crisis. By emphasising climate justice, we underscore the strong commitment of Latin American and Caribbean trade unions to this pressing issue.