Belem Declaration: Amazon countries fail to agree on protection goals

Source: The post is based on the article “Belem Declaration: Amazon countries fail to agree on protection goals”  published in Down To Earth on 9th August 2023.

What is the News?

At the Amazon Summit, leaders from the eight countries across the Amazon have adopted the Belem Declaration.

The summit was organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).

What is the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization(ACTO)?

Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization(ACTO) is an intergovernmental organization signed in 1978 and created in 1995.

Aim: To promote the harmonious development of the Amazonian territories in such a way that the joint actions of the Amazonian countries produce equitable and mutually beneficial results in achieving the sustainable development of the Amazon Region

Member countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Secretariat: Brasilia, Brazil

What is the Belem Declaration?

The Balem Declaration was adopted at the Amazon Summit.

The declaration recognises Indigenous knowledge as a condition for biodiversity conservation and calls for ensuring full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making and public policy formulation processes.

The declaration created an alliance for combatting forest destruction, with countries left to pursue their individual deforestation goals.

It also created a science body for annual reports on Amazon rainforest like the UN’s Climate Change Panel.