Letter to COP30 Presidency: GAP must be central to Belém outcomes

Dear Amb. André Aranha Corrêa do Lago,

Thank you for your eleventh letter and for outlining the issues the Presidency considers priorities for the Belém Package in the days ahead.

We are writing with serious concern: The Gender Action Plan (GAP) is missing from the list of priority issues. Parties are expected to adopt a renewed GAP at COP30, as mandated by Decision 7/CP.29. Its omission sends a troubling signal at a time when many delegations and observers expect Belém to deliver meaningful progress on gender equality as a central part of effective climate action.

In your letter, you state that we will work on this “together, so that no one is left behind, and every voice is heard”, but by not including the Gender Action Plan you are leaving behind the voices of millions of women, girls and gender-diverse people.

We request urgent clarification on two points:

1. Why the GAP was not included among the Presidency’s priority items.
2. How the Presidency will ensure the GAP receives the political attention and negotiation time needed for a strong and ambitious outcome.

A renewed and action-oriented GAP is essential for a credible Belém Package that delivers a “true mutirão”. Leaving it to the margins would undermine both the mandate and the trust the Presidency has called for.

We urge the Presidency to make clear, in both process and guidance, that gender equality is essential work. The renewed GAP must be treated as a priority as we move toward final outcomes this week.

We are counting on your leadership, and look forward to your kind response.

Attentively,

The Women and Gender Constituency