After 10 years without activities, and one year holding virtual meetings, the group of parliamentarians met in person and approved the political declaration that is the benchmark of the institutionalization of the Parliament that involves the eight Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
In a historic session the first face-to-face meeting was held at the headquarters of ACTO on May 18. The Brazilian Senator Nelsinho Trad resumed the Amazonian Parliament (Parlamaz), made up of the eight ACTO member countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The event was attended by the Secretary General of ACTO, Alexandra Moreira, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Carlos França and parliamentarians from the Amazon countries.
Minister Carlos França highlighted this moment as historic in defense of the environment and for the relations among the Amazonian countries. “It has been 44 years since the Amazon Cooperation Treaty was signed, which is the most important step. The Amazon is an incomparable biodiversity reserve and it is more and more evident in international debates. We are fully aware of the challenges for sustainability,” he said.
Foreign Minister França also said that the ACTO is today a key actor in the governance of the Amazonian cooperation thanks to its institutionality, practical knowledge and experience in coordinating dialogue and in the joint implementation of initiatives of Member Countries. “The work of ACTO is an important technical, legal and diplomatic framework for the regional treatment of the Amazon challenges. The Brazilian government will participate in the necessary negotiations to lead Parlamaz to become part of the institutional framework of ACTO,” he said.
ACTO Secretary General, Alexandra Moreira, congratulated Senator Nelsinho Trad for its devoted work and effort in reactivating the Parlamaz. “It is a significant ocassion as we are all together. She congratulated the parliamentarians of the Amazonian countries for embracing this important decision to work at the level of the powers and legislative bodies, as the sustainable management of the Amazon is an issue of relevance ” she emphasized.
“The relevance of political dialogue, the creation of alliances, strategies, and building comprehensive and regional convergent results in favor of the Amazon territories is also part of the work of the senators and deputies of each of our countries. Therefore, it is appropriate that the issue of the Amazon not only be on the agenda of the executive bodies of the countries, but also in the agenda of legislative bodies, in order that greater relevance is given to the region, and in turn, within the framework of public policies give greater opportunity in the countries’ priorities to a legislation that can be developed for its benefit”, stressed the Secretary General of the ACTO.
For the Brazilian Deputy, Rodrigo Agostinho, the issues related to the Amazon are urgent. “We have a big challenge to develop the economy by keeping the forest standing,” he added.
Senator Nelsinho Trad recalled that the Amazonian Parliament was instituted by the 1989 Declaration of the Amazon. At that time, the creation of a regional parliamentary body would be envisaged to ensure joint and concerted actions for the preservation of the rights of the Amazon region and the promotion of its development.
According to Senator Nelsinho Trad, the Parlamaz needs the same model as the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasul), which was created by a Constitutive Protocol signed by the presidents of the bloc to legislate on common interests and function as an independent political body. “The Parlamaz has not yet had this formal treatment by the signatory countries. That is what we are looking for today,” explained the president of Parlamaz.
The representatives of the delegations expressed their opinions and the declaration was adopted unanimously. “After Parlamaz has been inactive for so long, this is a historic moment,” said Parlamaz Vice President Alcira Aleiza Montero from Bolivia.
