Belem, Brazil: Countries Seal Landmark Declaration at COP30

The Declaration recognizes the central role of the Global Initiative in strengthening global cooperation to uphold the integrity of information related to climate change and calls on funders to donate to the Global Fund and support projects that promote information integrity locally, nationally and internationally.

By Newsroom Last updated Nov 13, 2025

By Steve UMIDHA

The Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change today launched the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change at COP30, establishing shared international commitments to address climate disinformation and promote accurate, evidence-based information on climate issues.

The Declaration commits signatories to promote the integrity of information related to climate change at international, national and local levels, in line with international human rights law and the principles of the Paris Agreement.

Drafted in collaboration with civil society members of the Global Initiative Advisory Group, the Declaration has been endorsed by ten countries so far – Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay.

“Climate change is no longer a threat of the future; it is a tragedy of the present,” said President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Belém. “We live in an era in which obscurantists reject scientific evidence and attack institutions. It is time to deliver yet another defeat to denialism.”

The Declaration calls on governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and funders to take concrete action to counter the growing impact of disinformation, misinformation, denialism and deliberate attacks on environmental journalists, defenders, scientists and researchers that undermine climate action and threaten societal stability.

“We must fight mis- and disinformation, online harassment, and greenwashing,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in the lead-up to COP30. “Through the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, Governments and organizations are working together to fund research and action promoting information integrity on climate issues. Scientists and researchers should never fear telling the truth.”

“Without access to reliable information about climate disruption we can never hope to overcome it. Through this initiative, we will support the journalists and researchers investigating climate issues, sometimes at great risk to themselves, and fight the climate-related disinformation running rampant on social media,” urged Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General, at the launch of the Initiative.

The Declaration emphasizes that mobilizing all actors in society requires access to consistent, reliable, accurate and evidence-based information on climate change, which is indispensable for raising awareness, fostering public participation, enabling accountability and building public trust in urgent climate policies and actions.

Key Commitments

Under the Declaration, signatories commit to:

Promote the integrity of information related to climate change in line with international human rights law, including freedom of expression standards
Support the sustainability of a diverse and resilient media ecosystem to ensure accurate and reliable coverage on climate and environmental issues
Support the inclusion of information integrity commitments into the Action for Climate Empowerment agenda under the UNFCCC
Promote informed and inclusive climate action by advancing equitable access to accurate, evidence-based, understandable information for all
Foster cooperation and capacity-building to address threats to information integrity, safeguarding those reporting on and researching climate issues

With resources falling short of needs globally, the Declaration calls on governments to ensure funds to research climate information integrity, especially in developing countries.

It also urges the private sector to commit to information integrity in their business practices and ensure transparent, human-rights responsible advertising practices that bolster information integrity and support reliable journalism.

Four New Countries Join the Initiative

The Global Initiative announced that Belgium, Canada, Finland and Germany have joined as new member countries, bringing the total membership of States to thirteen.

This expanded membership reflects growing international recognition that threats to information integrity represent one of the defining challenges of our time, weakening the foundations of public debate and undermining societies’ capacity to build collective solutions to the climate crisis.

Global Fund Supports First Projects

Since its launch in June 2025, the Initiative’s Global Fund for Information Integrity on Climate Change has received 447 proposals from nearly 100 countries.

With initial funding of USD 1 million from the Government of Brazil, the Fund has begun supporting its first wave of projects across multiple continents, with nearly two-thirds of eligible proposals originating from the Global South.