Amazon Connectivity Alliance at COP30 Highlights Model for Nature-Aligned Development Corridors
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Ministry of External Affairs
The countries of the Amazon region launched the Alliance for Sustainable, Resilient, and Integrated Transport in the Amazon at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, an initiative strongly supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group and the World Bank Group. The alliance addresses the urgent need to strengthen regional connectivity where infrastructure limitations, reliance on fossil fuels, and vulnerability to disasters hinder development. The initiative aims to develop a Regional Action Plan 2026-2030 to drive a deep transformation of transportation toward an inclusive, efficient, and resilient model.
The strategy is built on four strategic pillars designed to reconcile economic ambition with the preservation of the Amazon’s socio-biodiversity:
Improving connectivity and access to basic services in isolated communities. The alliance aims to connect remote Amazonian communities through sustainable transport, digital, and energy networks, improving access to essential services such as health and education while strengthening Indigenous-led value chains.
Promoting efficient, multimodal logistics to boost the regional bioeconomy. By developing multimodal transport systems and expanding river navigation, the alliance seeks to enhance mobility, regional integration, and value-added trade in the bioeconomy.
Developing resilient infrastructure with nature-based solutions.All connectivity projects will integrate forest-conservation safeguards, ecosystem-based engineering, and climate-resilient design to align development with environmental protection.
Strengthening river transport as a key axis for integration and mobility. River transport will serve as the backbone of sustainable logistics, linking dispersed communities and reducing carbon and ecological footprints across the Amazon basin.
This collaborative effort aligns with the WBG’s Amazonia Viva and the IDB Group’s Amazonia Forever programs, positioning the transformation of transportation as central to the region’s resilience and development agenda.
The launch marks a pivotal policy moment, signaling a regional commitment to adopting integrated infrastructure planning that views nature and climate resilience as core assets, rather than constraints. This multilateral cooperation is crucial for accessing climate finance aligned with national priorities (NDCs) and mobilizing public-private investment toward low-carbon, bioeconomy-driven projects in the Global South.
For India, the Amazon Connectivity Alliance underscores how infrastructure, ecology, and inclusion must be designed as one system. The initiative’s model of nature-linked, community-governed connectivity offers lessons for India’s own frontier regions — from the Northeast and Himalayan states to forested tribal belts — where roads, energy, and digital networks intersect with fragile ecosystems. It highlights the need to embed climate and forest safeguards, local participation, and biodiversity-aligned finance into national programmes such as PM Gati Shakti, the National Infrastructure Pipeline, and Digital India, ensuring that growth corridors become resilient and equitable, not extractive.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What governance mechanisms must the Alliance establish to ensure Indigenous Peoples and local communities have meaningful participation and data sovereignty over infrastructure projects impacting their traditional territories?
Follow the full news here: Amazonian Countries Launch Regional Connectivity Alliance at COP30 with IDB Group, World Bank Group Support