On 13 November, high-level delegates visited Barcarena, State of Pará, Brazil, for an immersive experience on Urban Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Amazon, organized as part of the COP30 parallel agenda.

The visit offered an on-the-ground look at how Amazonian cities are advancing resilience through education, community engagement, and nature-based solutions. Co-hosted by the Municipality of Barcarena, UNDRR, and Brazil’s Ministry of Cities, the site visit brought together local, national and international leaders committed to understanding and strengthening local risk-management strategies. ICLEI is proud to be represented by Rodrigo Perpétuo, executive secretary of ICLEI South America, as co-coordinator for MCR2030 for Latin America.

Delegates experience Amazonian resilience up close

The program combined river and land routes, field activities, and direct exchanges with local teams leading disaster risk reduction initiatives. Delegates took part in thematic sessions led by UNDRR, showcasing partnerships with Barcarena and other UN agencies.

Participants – including Kamal Kishore (Head, UNDRR), AnaCláudia Rossbach (Executive Director, UN-Habitat), Jarder Filho (Brazil’s Minister of Cities), Nahuel Arenas (UNDRR Director for the Americas and the Caribbean), local mayors, and ICLEI’s Rodrigo Perpétuo – began the day with an exhibition featuring climate and resilience projects by public school students. The exhibition underscored the role of education as a foundational pillar of long-term resilience and climate awareness in the Amazon.

Local leadership from the frontlines

Located 111 km from the COP30 host city of Belém, Barcarena sits at the confluence of the Amazon River and the Atlantic Ocean, in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable zones. With year-round humidity above 90% and heightened exposure to extreme heat, sea-level rise, erosion, and landslides, the municipality faces multiple intersecting risks.

With its deep focus on addressing the city’s resilience, in 2023 Barcarena was recognized as UNDRR’s first Resilience Hub in the Amazon Region, reinforcing its role as a mentor city committed to guiding other municipalities through resilience-building processes.

An ICLEI Member since 2022, Barcarena has become a reference point for sustainable urban development in the Amazon. The city hosted the first ICLEI regional meeting in the Amazon in 2022 and this year hosted the fourth in-person LUPPA Lab -Brazil’s largest food systems laboratory- and continues to advance integrated solutions in food security, urban resilience, and climate planning.

Barcarena is playing host to ICLEI’s delegation during COP30, and the collaboration continues to strengthen pathways for sustainability and resilience across the region.

Recognition on the global stage

Barcarena was among the 12 winners of the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Local Leaders Awards, announced during the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio on 4 November – eight of the winners being ICLEI Members.

Barcarena won for its Food System initiative, led by the Department of Agriculture, which exemplifies integrated, people-centered climate action. The initiative connects public policies supporting agroforestry-based, organic production of açaí, cocoa, and bananas while purchasing directly from family farmers with municipal resources to serve schools, social assistance programs, and the public health network.

This high-level site visit highlighted Barcarena’s role as an emerging hub of innovation, resilience, and community-driven solutions, demonstrating that the future of climate adaptation in the Amazon is already taking shape at the local level.

ICLEI remains committed to supporting Barcarena and other Amazonian cities in accelerating transformative, resilient, and inclusive urban development. See more on ICLEI’s work in the Amazon region here.