As COP30 unfolds in Belém, Brazil, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) reaffirms its commitment to climate action through two powerful global initiatives: the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework and the Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH).
The collective voice of the Sports for Climate Action community
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – otherwise known as COP30 – is currently taking place (until 21 November 2025) in Belém, Brazil. It brings together world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organisations, and civil society to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans and the progress on the finance pledges made at COP29.
COP30 is the perfect occasion to leverage the power of sport to accelerate climate action, for example via the Sport Communiqué published today, 11 November, and signed by the UCI together with other members of the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action community.
The Communiqué is a global call for governments to team up with sport to take climate action to the next level. It calls on public and private institutions, national governments, city leaders and international bodies to formally recognise and invest in the role of sport as a climate action partner. This means embedding sport in climate strategies and supporting its capacity to deliver awareness, community engagement and tangible solutions. It also means supporting initiatives that use sport as a tool for engagement and resilience, from youth programming to infrastructure innovation.
Cycling, with its unique dual role as both a sport and a sustainable mode of transport, stands at the forefront of this global mutirão * - a collective effort to build resilience, inspire communities, and drive low-carbon solutions. The UCI calls on governments and institutions to embed sport, and especially active mobility, into climate strategies, recognising its unmatched potential to engage citizens, shift norms, and deliver tangible impact for a fair and sustainable future.
PATH’s call to National Governments
In the same vein, the UCI, which is a founding member of the coalition Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) has joined hundreds of its members and other non-profit organisations in signing the PATH’s joint letter. This calls on all national governments to join the momentum for integrating walking and cycling into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Enabling more people to walk and cycle safely is increasingly recognised as a quick, reliable and affordable way to cut transport emissions in half by 2030 and help reach the Paris Agreement, a climate change treaty adopted at the COP21 in the French capital. PATH research shows that two-thirds of countries now have active travel policies. However, current commitments too often fall short of the ambition needed to ensure they address the climate imperative.
With the objective to inspire action through effective guidance, the PATH coalition developed, in 2025, an Active Travel Policy Template. This comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating an effective policy features inspiring examples of 20 national actions that can have a measurable impact. These include (amongst others) prioritising walking and cycling in transport planning frameworks, prescribing walking and cycling as part of health care systems, and establishing priority active mobility zones, including promoting cargo bikes for the delivery of services and goods. Sharing the same objective to inspire cities to take action through cycling, the UCI launched its UCI Bike City Pathway in 2024, featuring a comprehensive roadmap and case studies for fostering a bike-friendly environment, based on the criteria established to achieve the UCI Bike City Label.
As COP30 shines a spotlight on urgent climate priorities, the UCI remains committed in its mission to get more people on bikes - championing cycling as a powerful lever for climate action, public health, and inclusive mobility - and calls on governments and city leaders to embrace cycling as a shared solution for a healthier, more sustainable future. We’ve seen the power of teamwork on the field of play; now it’s time to bring that same energy to climate action.
*Mutirão (Portuguese, Brazil): a collective, community-driven effort in which people come together to achieve a shared goal - an “all-hands” action grounded in solidarity and common purpose