Brazil: Belém to host Amazon Dialogues starting today

The Amazon Dialogues, a precursor to the upcoming Amazon Summit that will convene heads of state from countries in the region on September 8 and 9, starts today (Aug. 4) in Belém.

Until Sunday (6), representatives from various entities, social movements, research centers, and government agencies in Brazil and the other Amazonian countries will gather on multiple fronts to collaboratively devise suggestions for the reconstruction of sustainable public policies in the region.

The outcomes of these deliberations will be presented as proposals to the heads of state during the Amazon Summit meeting. The participation of presidents from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela has been confirmed, while Ecuador and Suriname will be represented by official delegates.

Thematic

“These discussions will encompass several themes, including climate change, the welfare of indigenous communities in the Amazon, and projects focusing on sustainable and inclusive development in the region. Additionally, agroecology, the livelihoods of forest workers, and the need to combat illegal mining will be at the forefront of these deliberations,” emphasized Márcio Macêdo, Minister of the General Secretariat of Brazil’s government, in a statement to Agência Brasil.

The General Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took charge of coordinating the meeting. The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), an intergovernmental entity formed by the eight participating countries, facilitated the preparation and coordination with other nations. ACTO was established after the signing of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty in 1978.

The General Secretariat anticipates that the Amazon Dialogues will draw approximately 10,000 participants over the course of three days, engaging in 405 activities and events to be held in the city of Belém.

Problems and potential

According to the General Secretariat, the Amazon Dialogues represent an “exceptionally enriching process of debate,” providing a platform for social movements from all Amazonian countries to voice their perspectives on the challenges, potentialities, and possibilities of the Amazon rainforest.

Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Sônia Guajajara, emphasizes the significance of presidents coming together to devise strategies for combating the climate crisis. Nevertheless, during the EBC program “A Voz do Brasil”, she highlighted the crucial aspect that this discussion must commence with the voices of those who reside in and intimately understand the Amazon.

Synthesis Plenaries

According to the General Secretariat, five synthesis plenaries will be organized, engaging around 3,000 participants. Each plenary will feature seven speakers, with four representing civil society and three from the government.

The discussions will encompass topics, including social participation, eradication of slave labor, health, sovereignty, food and nutrition security, science and technology, energy transition, climate change, as well as the protection of indigenous and traditional communities in the region.

The outcomes will form the foundation for the creation of five reports that will be presented to the presidents of the Amazon countries during the Amazon Summit.

Additionally, cross-cutting plenary sessions are scheduled to address the circumstances of specific groups, including women, young people, and black communities in the Amazon region. The insights and deliberations from these plenary sessions may be incorporated as excerpts in the reports of the synthesis plenary sessions.

Program

The full program is available on the website of the General Secretariat.

On Friday (4), a transversal plenary is set to convene, focusing on “Women in Panamazonia – Rights, Bodies, and Territories for Socio-environmental and Climate Justice.” Additionally, a plenary synthesis will address the participation and safeguarding of territories, activists, civil society, as well as forest and water communities in the sustainable development of the Amazon. This plenary will also delve into strategies to combat slave labor in the region.

On Saturday (5), the plenary synthesis will center on “Health, Sovereignty, and Food and Nutritional Security in the Amazon region: Emergency Actions and Structuring Policies.” Concurrently, there will be a transversal plenary dedicated to youth-related matters.

Climate change

On the final day of the Amazon Dialogues, the program will feature the fourth plenary synthesis focusing on “Climate Change, Agroecology, and the Socio-Bioeconomics of the Amazon: Sustainable Management and New Production Models for Regional Development.”