The Amazon Summit sets an agenda to tackle deforestation and urges developed countries to live up to their environmental commitments

Belém. – The Amazon Summit, in Belém, Brazil, concluded on Wednesday with agreements on an agenda to reduce deforestation and crime in the largest tropical forest on the planet, shared by eight countries; Coordination between countries to support local authorities in protecting the ecosystem and calling on developed countries to fulfill their resource commitments for climate action.

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, members of the recently revitalized Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA), were represented throughout the two days of sessions.

The meeting was joined on Wednesday by the presidents of the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the envoy of the President of Indonesia, and the French ambassador to Brazil, representative of the territory of French Guiana. Also in attendance was an envoy from Norway, the largest contributor to the Brazilian Amazon Fund for Sustainable Development.

Analysts highlighted that a roadmap to protect tropical forests has been designed, described as an important step in combating climate change, but noted that concrete commitments called for by some environmentalists to end deforestation have not been reached.

On Tuesday, the presidents and ministers of eight countries in the Amazon region signed a declaration of their plans to boost economic development in their countries while preventing the region’s long-suffering “from reaching a point of no return.”

“It is important that the leaders of the countries of the region listened to the flag and understood the call of society: the Amazon is in danger and we do not have much time to act,” the WWF International Group said in a statement.

Marcio Astrini, director of the Observatório do Clima, an organization of more than 70 Brazilian environmental groups, acknowledged that after years of setbacks, what was seen in Belém is a “first step”, but lamented the lack of “concrete decisions” on issues such as Deforestation of the forest, a point also noted by the WWF and other organizations.

The summit advances Lula’s strategy to promote global interest in preserving the Amazon. Encouraged by a 42 percent drop in deforestation in the first seven months of his term, he sought international financial support to protect the forests.

Speaking to the press after the meeting on Wednesday, Lula lamented “protectionist measures disguised as environmental concerns” that limit imports from developing countries, and said developed countries should make good on their promises of monetary support to protect forests.

“Nature, which was polluted by industrial development 200 years ago, needs them to pay their share so that we can revive part of what was destroyed. Nature needs money,” said the Brazilian president.

The Amazon region extends over an area twice the size of India. Two-thirds of it is located in Brazil, while seven other countries and one territory share the remaining third. Historically, governments have viewed it as an area of ​​colonization and exploitation, with little regard for the sustainability or rights of its indigenous peoples.

All countries present at the summit have ratified the Paris Agreement, which requires signatories to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Declaration of Belém, which embodies the commitments agreed at the meeting and consists of 113 points, urges developed countries to “fulfill their commitments to provide and mobilize resources, including the goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually in climate finance.”

It also announces the creation of the Center for International Police Cooperation in the Amazon, which will be responsible for coordinating logistical cooperation for signatory states to help their local authorities protect the Amazon biome, although it leaves governments free to define their own regions. protection methods.

At point 79, the declaration includes the signatories’ commitment to “start a dialogue on the sustainability of sectors such as mining and hydrocarbons in the Amazon.”

The document also expresses consensus on issues such as the involvement of indigenous peoples in campaigns to protect the environment in the Amazon region.