COP 29: UK and Brazil expand industrial decarbonisation partnership

As COP29 unfolds in Baku, Azerbaijan, the strategic partnership between Brazil and the United Kingdom under the Industrial Decarbonization Hub (ID Hub) is setting a new standard for decarbonisation efforts in emerging economies.

The ID Hub is an international partnership platform co-led by Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) and the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the lead technical partner. This initiative is focused on mobilising financial and technical resources to drive Brazil’s transition towards a low-carbon industrial future.

On 14 November, the UNIDO Pavilion at COP29 hosted the event “Global perspectives on increasing international financial assistance for Industry Decarbonisation”, which brought together representatives from Brazil, the UK and other nations to discuss how coordinated international financing can accelerate industrial decarbonisation. The ID Hub was presented as a successful example of an ongoing global driver of financial assistance for industry decarbonization resulting from a country platform to unlock multilateral assistance.

Moderated by the Chief of UNIDO’s Energy and Climate Action Division, Rana Ghoneim, the panel featured: the Director of the Department of Decarbonization and Green Finance at MDIC, João Francisco Paiva Avelino; the Director for International Net Zero at DESNZ, Matt Toombs; the State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and the Environment at Sweden’s Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, Daniel Westlén; the Director General of Natural Resources Canada, Monique Frison; the Deputy Director of the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), James Schofield; and the Industrial Transitions Policy Manager at the Climate Bonds Initiative, Fabio Passaro.

The session also showcased other successful models of bilateral cooperation, such as the Sweden-India Industry Transition Partnership, as well as Brazil’s collaboration with the global multi-stakeholder Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA).

On 16 November, another key moment for the ID Hub took place at the UK Pavilion event titled “Scaling up industrial decarbonisation assistance”, where UK Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy and Brazil’s Secretary of Green Economy, Decarbonisation and Bioindustry, Rodrigo Rollemberg, announced a series of flagship initiatives. These new measures underscore the ID Hub’s mission to strengthen Brazil’s industrial decarbonisation landscape through innovation, regulatory support, and international collaboration.

The initiatives include:

  • Industrial Policy Support: Mobilising resources to aid Brazil in formulating policies that foster a conducive institutional framework environment for industrial decarbonisation.
  • Industrial Technology Incubator: Establishing a technology incubator designed to link Brazilian and international innovators through pilot projects and strategic partnerships, enabling the development and deployment of decarbonisation technologies tailored to Brazil’s industrial needs.
  • Industrial Cluster Twinning Initiative: Facilitating the exchange of expertise through a “twinning” model, where Brazilian industrial clusters can partner with global leaders to share best practices and technical knowledge in decarbonisation efforts.

These deliverables are expected to strengthen Brazil’s industrial sector, enhancing its competitiveness while aligning with global sustainability goals. As the lead technical partner, UNIDO will be instrumental in implementing these initiatives through the ID Hub, ensuring that Brazil receives cohesive and streamlined support from a network of partners.

As COP29 brings global attention to climate action, the Brazil-UK ID Hub serves as an example of how international cooperation can catalyse significant progress in emerging economies. With these new initiatives and a reinforced commitment to industrial decarbonisation, the ID Hub will play a transformative role in shaping Brazil’s sustainable industrial future and providing a replicable model for industrial sectors worldwide.