Lula: Amazon is a passport to the region’s relations with the world

The day had not yet dawned and the Hangar Centro de Convenções de Belém (in the Brazilian state of Pará) was already bustling with leaders arriving from the eight Amazon countries, this Tuesday morning (August 8), for the Amazon Summit. The event is discussing alternatives for the sustainable development of the region.

We’ll have to reconcile environmental protection with social inclusion; the promotion of science, technology and innovation; fostering local economies; combating international crime; and valuing indigenous peoples, traditional communities and their ancestral knowledge”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil

From 8 am on, under the Pará heat, the presidents of Bolivia (Luis Arce), Colombia (Gustavo Petro) and Peru (Dina Boluarte); the vice president of Venezuela (Delcy Rodriguez); the prime minister of Guyana (Mark -Anthony Phillip); and the ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador (Gustavo Manrique Miranda) and Suriname (lbert Randim) began to arrive at the venue where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, host of the meeting, was already waiting for them.

After welcoming everyone, the Brazilian president gave the floor to civil society representatives to report on the results of the Amazon Dialogues – which had taken place in the same Hangar between August 4 and 6, and which will be incorporated into the Amazon Summit’s Belém Declaration.

The civil society spokespersons delivered documents presenting their points of view to the Amazon presidents. There were many contributions to the debate, including stricter control in issues such as preventing illegal deforestation and loss of biodiversity, combating organized and cross-border crime, expanding commitments to preservation and, particularly, respect for ancestral knowledge and indigenous peoples and for inclusive social development that benefits the peoples that live in the Amazon.

BEFORE AND AFTER – The notes converge to what the Amazon countries plan and to what the Brazilian president summarized in his first statement to the guests. Lula recalled the urgency that the deepening of the climate crisis imposes on Amazon countries and on the world; defended the resumption and expansion of international cooperation; and said that the Amazon is a "passport for the region's relations with the world."

According to Lula, the region's resources will be valued and put at the service of all, instead of being exploited for the benefit of a few. “I am convinced that the history of the Amazon will start from now on, before and after this meeting. All that everyone talks about now is the Amazon. But now it’s the Amazon that is raising its voice to speak to the world,” he said.

THREE PURPOSES – The Brazilian president stated that the Summit holds three main goals – the first of which is the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive development in the region, combining environmental protection with the generation of decent jobs and the defense of the rights of those who live in the Amazon.

“We’ll have to reconcile environmental protection with social inclusion; the promotion of science, technology and innovation; fostering local economies; combating international crime; and valuing indigenous peoples, traditional communities and their ancestral knowledge.”

Another purpose, he said, is to strengthen the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), “the only bloc in the world that was created with a socio-environmental mission.” The objective is to expand and deepen cooperation, coordination and integration among ACTO members and ensure that this vision of sustainable development has a long life and a broad outreach.

The third purpose is to strengthen the place of countries with tropical rainforests on the global agenda, in issues ranging from tackling climate change to reforming the international financial system.

“The fact that we are all here together – governments, civil society and academia, states and municipalities, parliamentarians and leaders – reflects our firm intention to work towards these three major goals.”

Lula also defended that the development of the Amazon must be rooted in science and knowledge in the region, and involve all stakeholders in the search for solutions. He recalled contradictions such as the fact that the region harbors a rich culture and biodiversity while people face limitations such as famine and lack of drinking water.

“We’re committed to changing this situation around,” he said, before mentioning results that have already been achieved – such as the 42.5% drop in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in the first seven months of 2023. Lula reaffirmed the commitment he made to zero deforestation by 2030, encouraging this to be a regional – and not only Brazilian – commitment, and commented on his intention to establish an International Police Cooperation Center in Manaus (state of Amazonas) to face the specific crimes that affect the region.

ENERGY COMMITMENT – In a speech during the first part of meeting this morning, ACTO Secretary-General Maria Alexandra Moreira López said that the declaration that will be signed by the organization's countries "is a dynamic and daring commitment which presents a comprehensive vision that has sought to understand the Amazon – in its broadest dimension – as a biome harboring complex interconnections that requires management measures at systemic, cross-border, and multisectoral levels.”

The Secretary-General mentioned the social challenges that are inherent to the Amazon region, and the need for countries to find solutions to meet basic services such as access to potable water, sanitation, solid waste management and better health and education systems.

Ministers Mauro Vieira and Marina Silva highlighted the importance of Amazon countries acting in time to prevent the Amazon from reaching the so-called point of no return, when there is no longer any possibility of regenerating it from deforestation. “Our joint efforts demand concrete actions – and these actions must be undertaken with a sense of urgency,” emphasized Vieira.