Brasilia, September 30, 2024 - Brasilia (DF) and Porto Velho (RO) hosted the technical mission of the countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), held between September 23 and 28. The meeting between Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Suriname was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil, through the project Strengthening the Criminal Justice System's Response to Forest Crimes (CRIMFLO), the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the ACTO.
Over the course of a week, representatives from Amazonian countries had the opportunity to get to know IBAMA's work in areas such as environmental inspection, combating deforestation, environmental intelligence, preventing and combating fires, forest concessions, monitoring and controlling logging and timber trade, among others. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the Brazilian Forestry Service (SFB) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) also contributed with presentations on their areas of activity.
At the meeting, the countries were able to share and exchange experiences on ongoing efforts to prevent and control deforestation and environmental monitoring in the Amazon region, as well as discuss the results already achieved in preserving the forest. The mission included meetings at IBAMA and OTCA headquarters in Brasilia, as well as the participation of the delegation in an IBAMA inspection operation in Porto Velho.
During the operation, carried out with the support of the Federal Police and the National Security Force and focused on inspecting activities related to logging, four logging companies, a management plan and a deforestation area were inspected. As a result, IBAMA seized more than a thousand cubic meters of illegal timber.
As well as strengthening cooperation between ACTO member countries in preventing and controlling deforestation and preserving the Amazon rainforest, the technical mission also helped to consolidate the commitments made in the Belém Declaration in August 2023. On that occasion, the Amazon countries defined joint agendas aimed at reducing forest degradation and protecting both the ecosystem and the people who live in it.
CRIMFLO - The UNODC project in Brazil is supported by the United States Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). It aims to strengthen the criminal justice system's response to illegal deforestation and timber trafficking in Brazil by supporting various levels of law enforcement through the provision of technical assistance, cross-border and interregional cooperation, interagency coordination and partnership with the private sector.
