The development of the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO) by the Permanent Secretariat of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (PS/ACTO) is advancing. The conclusion of the conceptual and methodological design of ARO carried out by the consultancy Corporate Excellence (EXCO) allows to take practical steps in the implementation of ARO by PS/ACTO.
The Amazon Regional Observatory is an official information platform for Amazon countries whose development is the result of a decision adopted in 2011 during the XI Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs that instructed PS/ACTO to develop the Observatory. Since then, working groups have discussed the concept of the platform, characteristics and format, as well as the basic management structure and the official information transfer processes and mechanisms. A special place in ARO will have the module on biodiversity and CITES species in the eight Amazon countries, as reported in the Bioamazon Bulletin n. 5.
The next step is to hire specialized companies for the creation and implementation of the ARO online platform and the construction and implementation of the CITES thematic module linked to ARO.
As part of the analyzes for the specific scope of the Observatory on biodiversity and CITES, it was identified the need for an assessment of the current state of information systems in each ACTO Member Country – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The analysis carried out by the EXCO consultancy involved visits and dialogue with countries to identify needs, expectations and generate a baseline.
The first phase of operational implementation consists of the development of the platform software as well as the implementation of the CITES thematic module, which will be made possible by the German Development Bank (KfW) which finances the Regional Project for the Management, Monitoring and Control of Fauna and Flora Species Wild Plants Threatened by Trade (Bioamazon Project).
According to ACTO Technical Advisor, Diego Pacheco Balanza, the development of the Amazon Regional Observatory will generate countless benefits not only for the Amazon countries, but for society in general. Among these benefits are: i) Offer a repository of official information from Amazon countries; ii) Strengthen the process of exchange of experiences; iii) Strengthen the regional Amazon vision; iv) Have a record and memory of the region through regional monitoring actions; v) Provide data and information to stimulate political and technical dialogue for the discussion of public policies among Amazon countries.
“The Amazon Regional Observatory is a great desire of the Amazon countries that is beginning to become a reality in the current management of PS/ACTO, under the leadership of Alexandra Moreira, Secretariat General of the Organization and a team committed to this goal”, said Diego Pacheco.
