COP30 in Belém: Pioneering an Open Digital Network for Sustainability

This year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP) will be held in Belém, located in the Amazon region of Brazil. Among the key initiatives linked to the event is the Open Network of Belém (Rede Belém Aberta, in Portuguese), a collaborative project involving local communities, the University of Pará, and the incubator Jambu. Its primary objective is to establish a citywide open network that enhances connectivity and interaction across various sectors, including education, employment, mobility, healthcare, climate action, and e-commerce.

One of the novelties is the adoption of the Beckn protocol, a “resource discovery and transaction framework that facilitates open, decentralized, and interoperable peer-to-peer networks”. This protocol is designed to democratize digital commerce, offering applications in sectors such as retail and mobility. In Belém, the initiative integrates Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) principles with digital solidarity economies/ solidarity tech approaches, emphasizing values such as interoperability and decentralization. They recently published a concept paper and an initial project documentation, which will soon be operational and is set to be implemented before the COP.

Stay tuned for further updates!