Presidents of Brazil and Colombia meet to boost cooperation ahead of Amazon summit
- Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met Colombia’s Gustavo Petro on Saturday to lay groundwork for the Amazon summit in Belem next month
- ‘Joint action of the countries that share the Amazon biome is fundamental for facing the multiple challenges in the region,’ said a statement from Lula
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Saturday met his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro to build momentum for a coming regional summit on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection.
The encounter took place in Colombia’s Leticia, a town in the Amazon’s triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where organised crime has recently increased its hold.
The meeting aimed to lay groundwork for the Amazon Summit the Brazilian government is organising in Belem next month. That summit will be attended by leaders of the countries party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation, made up of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Lula is pushing for a joint declaration from the summit, which would be presented at the United Nation’s climate conference, known as COP28, in Dubai in November.
“We will have to demand together that rich countries fulfil their commitments,” Lula said in Leticia, sitting next to Petro.
The final document will comprise measures for the sustainable development of the Amazon, protecting the biome, and promoting social inclusion, science, technology and innovation while valuing Indigenous peoples and their knowledge, Brazil’s presidential palace said in a statement.
“Joint action of the countries that share the Amazon biome is fundamental for facing the multiple challenges in the region,” the statement said.