Bogotá, August 19, 2025 (@OCTAnews) – Nancy Guzmán Marín, an Afro-Indigenous “Amazonian mother” from Venezuela, has dedicated her life to defending biodiversity, combining her deep connection to the rainforest with her personal journey. For Guzmán, participation of the civil society sector in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is essential to ensure the Amazon continues to provide stability for the planet.
“Young people, women, and local communities hold the knowledge needed to address critical challenges and encourage governments to commit to protecting the world’s largest rainforest,” Guzmán said.
Dozens of representatives from the civil society sector and Indigenous communities gathered Tuesday at the National University of Bogotá Library for the Summit of Amazonian Countries. The second day of discussions focused on the Amazon Dialogues, a series of strategic discussions aimed at generating recommendations for the governments of Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname.
One key discussion was the creation of a civil society participation mechanism, OTCA Social, designed to strengthen dialogue between member states and the civil society sector committed to maintaining the Amazon’s integrity and the rights of its inhabitants.
“For ACTO, listening to the civil society sector is a priority. It provides tools to prevent reaching the point of no return. We are taking significant steps toward democratizing Indigenous and civil society sector participation in Amazon governance,” said Vanessa Grazziotin, Executive Director of ATCO.
The dialogues also emphasized the inclusion of women and youth, historically excluded from decision-making processes, and the need for the civil society sector to propose initiatives that are directly addressed by ACTO member countries.
“Now our task is to ensure that our voices and traditions are taken into account. Without the Amazon, there will be no future life on the planet,” Guzmán concluded.
The Amazon Dialogues also featured roundtables on knowledge systems, the work of the Amazon Regional Observatory, the value of forests and biodiversity for sustainable development, financing mechanisms for ACTO, and Indigenous governance through an Amazonian framework.
Follow our social media:
X: @OTCAnews
IG: @otca.oficial
