AFP’s coverage of Belém’s COP30

• Between November 3 and 23, 2025, nearly 190 videos and more than 60 climate-related stockshots were published, all sourced from AFPTV.​

• Four journalists deployed during the event.

• November 11 proved our reactivity: during clashes between indigenous protesters and security forces our live feed caught the event first​. ​

On November 20 at 17:09, during the final days of COP30 in Belém, a fire broke out inside the conference venue, triggering the evacuation of delegates and temporarily disrupting negotiations. AFP journalists on the ground reacted within minutes, capturing the first images of the incident and sending them on the wire by 17:16, followed by the first edit on the wire by 17:36. AFP was the first international media organisation to broadcast live images of the evacuations.

In the weeks leading up to COP30, AFP documented the Brazilian city of Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, as it prepared to host the world’s largest climate summit.

As COP30 officially opened in Belém on November 10, AFP captured the opening of the conference by Brazilian President Lula da Silva and the first day of negotiations, setting the tone for two weeks of tense talks.

Two days into the summit, AFP journalists captured rare clashes between Indigenous protesters and security forces at the COP30 venue in Belém, briefly disrupting proceedings.

AFP footage was widely reused by leading international media on YouTube, reaching a combined audience of over 17 million people.

Additionally, videos related to COP30 published on AFP’s two main YouTube channels gathered nearly 130k views.