The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA), in partnership with UN Women and FONPLATA, organized a key event at the Amazon Forever Pavilion during COP 16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), focusing on regional cooperation for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Amazon.
Acting Secretary General Vanessa Grazziotin, who moderated the event, emphasized that the Belém Declaration underscores the urgent need to include women and girls in decision-making processes, given their disproportionate vulnerability to climate crises and environmental degradation. “Their participation is essential to achieving sustainable development, promoting justice and social inclusion, and eradicating poverty,” Grazziotin stated.
The panel, which gathered regional leaders, included María Inés Salamanca, Deputy Representative of UN Women for Colombia, who highlighted the need to recognize the unique impacts of the climate crisis on women. Salamanca emphasized the crucial role of Indigenous and rural women in forest preservation and natural resource management. “These women’s ancestral knowledge is vital to protecting the Amazon,” she said.
Carolina Benítez, a gender project specialist at FONPLATA, discussed the integration of a gender perspective in infrastructure projects funded by the development bank. Benítez also mentioned specific initiatives, such as the Women Leaders Program in Brazil’s water sector, aimed at reducing gender gaps in the workforce.
This event marks the starting point for a series of OTCA activities focused on gender issues, which will continue through COP 30 in 2025. The initiatives will promote the empowerment and economic and social inclusion of women in the Amazon, alongside efforts to secure additional funding for initiatives targeting this group.
