Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed world leaders at the COP30 summit in Brazil, announcing Syria’s support for global efforts to limit climate change and calling for international cooperation as his country begins a large-scale reconstruction after years of conflict.
At the Amazon-hosted climate meeting, al-Sharaa said Syria is committed to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and invited foreign investment in renewable energy as part of what he described as “ambitious” recovery plans. He emphasized the urgency of addressing environmental threats, noting Syria suffered “a drought unlike any it has seen in over six decades” earlier this year.
Al-Sharaa framed climate action as a matter that should unite nations, calling for strengthened cooperation “from the Amazon to the Barada and Euphrates rivers” and urging greater support for developing countries. His appearance at COP30 comes ahead of planned talks in Washington with US President Donald Trump.
The summit visit follows a significant shift in Syria’s international status: the UN Security Council recently voted to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Khattab, and to remove an assets freeze and an arms embargo. The US championed the resolution, which diplomats described as largely symbolic because exemptions had been used to allow al-Sharaa to travel when necessary.
Al-Sharaa’s attendance at the UN General Assembly in September was the first by a Syrian head of state in nearly 60 years, where he urged the international community to lift all sanctions on Syria. His COP30 participation is being interpreted as another sign of Syria’s re-entry into diplomatic forums after a long period of isolation.
Al-Sharaa emerged as the leader of opposition forces that toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, after a 14-year civil war. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive on November 27, 2024, reaching Damascus within 12 days and bringing an end to the al-Assad family’s 53-year rule.
In related diplomatic developments, US special envoy Tom Barrack said Syria is expected to join the US-led coalition against ISIL, calling the potential move “a big step” and “remarkable.”
The White House did not send senior officials to COP30; earlier this year President Trump described climate change as the world’s “greatest con job” during the UN General Assembly, a stance that has shaped US engagement with the summit.
