COP30: Syngenta’s presence in Swiss delegation criticised

COP30: Syngenta's presence in the Swiss delegation criticised Keystone-SDA

The composition of the Swiss delegation to COP30 has come under fire in the run-up to the conference. Climate associations are criticising the participation of a representative from agricultural technology company Syngenta. They are calling for greater transparency in the selection process.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

At the 30th annual UN climate conference (COP30), which opens on Monday in Bélem, Brazil, Syngenta’s head of sustainable development Petra Laux and a representative of the Swiss Trade Association will be part of the official Swiss delegation. These appointments are of concern to climate protection groups.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, BreakFree Suisse, Swiss Youth for Climate and Drop Fossil Subsidies criticised the fact that both representatives are linked to organisations “whose activities are in direct contradiction with Switzerland’s climate objectives, particularly in terms of human rights and interests linked to fossil fuels”.

+ What to expect from Switzerland’s climate diplomacy at COP30

These climate associations denounce serious conflicts of interest, Switzerland’s vulnerability to lobbies and a loss of international credibility for the country.

They point out that Syngenta, the agrochemical giant acquired in 2016 by the Chinese state group ChemChina, is regularly criticised for its environmentally harmful practices. “Its business model is based on selling dangerously toxic pesticides abroad.”

The climate associations also point out that Syngenta is currently the subject of proceedings in the Basel civil court. Two Indian farmers are accusing the company of selling a pesticide that is potentially fatal to users.

The associations believe that the Swiss Trade Association’s position contradicts a number of Switzerland’s climate commitments.

Transparency

They are demanding transparent selection criteria and calling for the general public to be involved in the process of selecting representatives to the COP in future. In their view, the integrity of the climate summits is at stake.

They are also calling for the Swiss delegation to include companies that have already committed to achieving “net zero emissions”. “These companies would bring greater coherence, as well as the necessary knowledge and network, to these crucial climate negotiations.”

In the negotiations, the expertise and specific knowledge contributed by the representatives of civil society are very important, noted the Federal Office for the Environment, contacted by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS. Environmental and development organisations, as well as the business community, have been represented on the Swiss delegation for many years.

+ Switzerland’s new 2035 climate goals disappoint

When questioned on this issue during the autumn session, the government indicated that, when selecting representatives, particular attention is paid to the diversity of viewpoints and thematic contributions to the conference. The delegation also includes representatives of the WWF and Alliance Sud.

Private sector representative

Syngenta was also approached, and said that as a member of civil society, Petra Laux represented the private sector, not Syngenta.

She will bring the perspective of the entire private sector. Laux was selected independently because of her extensive expertise in business and sustainable development and her experience in previous UN meetings, the Syngenta spokesperson said.

The delegation will be led by Swiss Ambassador for the Environment Felix Wertli. Environment Minister Albert Rösti will attend COP30 during the second week of the conference.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

How we work 

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at [e-mail]