Strike in Belem slows COP30 construction, including heads of state hotel

20/9/2025 7:19

A strike by construction workers in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem, venue of a global climate summit in November, has partially disrupted work on the Leaders' Village that is due to house dozens of world leaders in just six weeks' time.



"One section of the compound is about 60% halted," said Cleber Rabelo, president of the local construction union, which is calling for a 9.5% increase in monthly wages. "In the other section, we managed to carry out temporary shutdowns," he added.



The strike, which began on Monday, has added fresh woes to Brazil’s efforts to organize the summit known as COP30.



High demand and soaring hotel prices in Belem have dampened the mood, with several country delegations and civil society groups saying they are being shut out of the conference by high costs.



The compound that will house government leaders needs to be completed in time for a presidential summit that will take place on November 6-7 ahead of the November 10-21 COP30 conference.