ICOM and ICOM Brazil, in collaboration with ICOMOS, Preserving Legacies, the Climate Heritage Network (CHN), and other partners, will host a side event during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, focusing on culture-based climate action.
The event will take place within museum premises and aims to strengthen dialogue between Brazilian and international representatives – especially from Latin America—on how diverse cultural and knowledge systems can contribute to global climate solutions.
This initiative builds upon the recently launched Brazilian Charter on Cultural Heritage and Climate Change, co-led by ICOMOS Brazil and ICOM Brazil, which highlights the urgent need to integrate cultural heritage considerations into climate policy. The discussions will address practical pathways to include cultural indicators in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), as well as the creation of an international fund for safeguarding heritage and collections threatened by climate change.
Event Overview
Date: 21 November 2025
Location: Museu das Amazônias, Belém, Pará, Brazil
Format: Hybrid (in-person and online participation available)
Programme
Morning Session – Workshops
Sustainability Plans in Museums: Sustainable Development through Museum Action
In partnership with the Museum and Memorial System – SECULT Pará
Afternoon Session – Opening and Discussion Panels
1:30 p.m. – Opening of the Event
2:00–4:00 p.m. (GMT -3) – Panel I: Museums – From Local to Global
Key questions include:
- How can museums demonstrate their contributions to mitigation, adaptation, and resilience?
- What data and indicators exist, and where are the gaps?
- Presentation and discussion of case studies.
Confirmed speakers:
- Diego Vaz Bevilaqua (ICOM Brazil) – moderator
- Lucimara Letelier (ICOM Sustain)
- Ursula Vidal (State Department of Culture of Pará)
- Helena Pinto Lima (Curator of Museu das Amazônias)
- Rachelle Kalee (ICOM Secretariat)
- William Gamboa Sierra (ICOM Secretariat)
- Gunjan Nanda (We Make Tomorrow / Entertainment + Culture Pavilion)
4:00–6:00 p.m. (GMT -3) – Panel II: Challenges from the Brazilian Charter on Cultural Heritage and Climate Change
Topics include:
- Implementation and impact of the Brazilian Charter.
- Inclusion of culture in national and international climate frameworks.
- Funding mechanisms for at-risk heritage and collections.
- Outcomes and progress at COP30.
Confirmed speakers:
- Diego Vaz Bevilaqua (ICOM Brasil) – moderator
- Aline Vieira de Carvalho (ICOMOS Brasil)
- Mauro Garcia Santa Cruz (Climate Heritage Network – Latin America and the Caribbean)
- Ave Paulus (ICOMOS)
- Denilson Batista (Memory Point Cabana de Rompe Mato and Quilombo of Macapazinho)
- Irleuza Apiaka (Indigenous Association Apiaká IAKUNDA´Y)
