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Climate change

Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization Grants Indigenous Peoples Formal Role in Decision-Making

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A historic shift in the Amazon Basin's governance has been achieved as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) has created a formal role for Indigenous peoples, giving them a voice in the organization's decision-making process for the first time. This development comes at a crucial moment as member countries work to implement policies that reduce deforestation and carbon emissions. The announcement was made during ACTO's fifth summit of presidents of Amazonian countries in Bogotá, Colombia, and includes the establishment of the Amazon Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (MAPI), which will include two Indigenous delegates from each member country.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) has created a formal role for Indigenous peoples, giving them a voice in the organization's decision-making process for the first time.
  • The Amazon Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (MAPI) will include two Indigenous delegates from each member country, who will meet annually to discuss threats to their ancestral territories.
  • MAPI will issue reports and recommendations to other bodies within ACTO, with the goal of promoting Indigenous knowledge systems and languages.
  • The announcement comes at a crucial moment as member countries work to implement policies that reduce deforestation and carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation.
  • The creation of MAPI is a result of a high-level political commitment to address the historical debt to Amazonian Indigenous peoples, whose contribution to biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation, and cultural preservation is invaluable.
  • The Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a mechanism to pay countries for protecting their forests, will be discussed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November.
  • The inclusion of Indigenous voices in ACTO's decision-making process is a significant step towards achieving the common goal of protecting the Amazon's natural resources.

Statistics:

  • 9 member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO): Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
  • 1 non-member country of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO): French Guiana.
  • 2 Indigenous delegates from each member country will be included in the Amazon Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (MAPI).
  • 10 countries have signed the Belém Declaration from 2023, including reducing deforestation and carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation.
  • The UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled for November in Belém, Brazil.

Sources:

  • Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. "About Us." [https://otca.org/en/about-us/](https://otca.org/en/about-us/)
  • Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. "OTCA Gives Historic Green Light to Indigenous Rights in the Amazon." [https://otca.org/en/otca-gives-historic-green-light-to-indigenous-rights-in-the-amazon/](https://otca.org/en/otca-gives-historic-green-light-to-indigenous-rights-in-the-amazon/)
  • Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. "Declaration of Belém." [https://otca.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Declaration-of-Belem.pdf](https://otca.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Declaration-of-Belem.pdf)
  • Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. "Leaders Back Tropical Forests Fund at Bogotá Summit." [https://otca.org/en/leaders-back-tropical-forests-fund-at-bogota-summit/](https://otca.org/en/leaders-back-tropical-forests-fund-at-bogota-summit/)

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