The Brazilian and Colombian presidents want the eight Acto participants to show a united front in the fight against deforestation, writes Eleonore Hughes
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro met representatives from countries party to the Amazon Co-operation Treaty Organization (Acto) to bolster collaboration for the protection of the Amazon rainforest ahead of the Cop 28 climate conference in Dubai in November.
Discussions during the 8 July meeting in Leticia, a Colombian town in the Amazon's triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, focused on the framework of a joint declaration expected at next month's Amazon Summit, organized by Brazil in the Amazonian city of Belem.
"The Belem summit will be a platform for the eight Amazonian countries to assume the leading role in the search for shared solutions," Lula said. Petro also stressed the need for a common front.
The joint declaration expected at Belem would be presented at Cop 28. It will comprise measures for the sustainable development of the Amazon, protecting the biome and promoting social inclusion, science, technology and innovation while valuing indigenous peoples and their knowledge, Brazil's presidential palace said.
The leaders of the Acto countries — Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela — are expected to attend the summit in Belem. Brazil has also invited the heads of Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo (Brazzaville). French president Emmanuel Macron has also been invited, as the representative of French Guiana.
Lula framed strengthening Acto as an essential tool to combat climate change and ever-decreasing biodiversity during the Leticia meeting, regretting that member countries had not given the treaty "the attention it deserves".
Lula reiterated his commitment to zero illegal deforestation by 2030, and invited other Amazonian countries to do the same at the August summit.
In the Cities
The Brazilian leader also proposed a series of measures to bolster co-operation, including the creation of an Amazonian Cities Forum and an Amazonian Parliament. "Public policy cannot be made without the participation of those who know the territory," he said.
Lula also pushed for the creation of a committee of Amazon experts. He proposed an Amazon Regional Observatory, which would monitor data from all countries to guide public policies and produce information on weather events.
Lula has strived to put environmental protection at the heart of his third term since taking office in January. He successfully pursued the resumption of international donations for the Amazon Fund to combat deforestation, and launched a military campaign to eject illegal miners from Yanomami territory.
Deforestation fell by 33.6pc during the first six months of Lula's term compared with a year earlier, according to satellite data from national space research institute Inpe.
But Inpe data show that the Amazon has seen 10.7pc more fires in the first half of 2023 compared with the same period last year, highlighting the many challenges that Lula faces to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030.
