Britain’s Secretary for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey, attended Lula's inauguration ceremony, tacking on a trip to the Amazonian state of Pará while in Brazil.Īs stated in a recent interview, Ms. Some of the most concrete discussions so far have been with the United Kingdom. "We're working on various fronts, seeking to expand beyond Germany and Norway," said Ms. The Norwegian government - after falling out with the Environment Ministry under former President Bolsonaro - is now keen on resuming donations, while Germany signed a new pledge shortly after Lula's election win in October of last year. Silva spoke of Brazil's interest in attracting new donors to the Amazon Fund, which since its creation has relied overwhelmingly on money from Norway, along with comparatively tiny investments from Germany. "I expect the oversight actions will begin immediately, using money from the budget, until new funds can be brought in." New partners? "I don't see it as being a problem, but it would require the formulation and approval of a project, which takes time." While not strictly part of the Fund's initial concept, the use of resources becomes more advantageous still due to recent legislative changes that exclude international donations from the government's public spending cap.Īs such, the money can be used to beef up the budgets of Ibama and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), without having to trim spending in other equally crucial areas.īut this use of funds isn't as straightforward as it sounds, explains Márcio Santilli, founding partner of non-profit Instituto Socioambiental. "Now, it will have to be used in an emergency manner because of this environmental 'blackout'. "Money wasn't intended to be used for actions that are the obligation of the state, right? The Fund is more to do with research, with support for community and corporate projects," she explained during an interview. With the new government in charge, there has been some clamor to make use of this unfrozen Amazon Fund cash to pay for the Environment Ministry's protection and oversight apparatus.Įarlier this month, Minister Silva acknowledged this potentially unorthodox use of funds, but underlined its importance. Indeed, of the BRL 219.4 million budget that the Bolsonaro government had available to spend on oversight operations between 20, it had used just over 40 percent, according to data from climate watchdog Observatório do Clima. Bolsonaro took office, foresaw a total of BRL 140 million to be transferred to the government agency, largely used to lease special vehicles used in oversight operations, such as helicopters. Over the last five years, even with the Amazon Fund suspended, it financed part of the oversight activities of Brazil's environmental protection agency Ibama. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Environment Minister Marina Silva singled out the Amazon Fund as "the priority" for the government in its search for financial resources to fund protection measures. The fund is mainly sponsored by Norway and Germany and managed by Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES), which is responsible for raising and investing funds, monitoring the sponsored projects, and providing accountability. The fund currently has a balance of BRL 3.3 billion (USD 630 million), to be spent on "efforts to prevent, monitor, and combat deforestation, as well as to promote the preservation and sustainable use of the Brazilian Amazon,” as is stated on the project's official website. Reviving the project - which was inexplicably suspended during the government of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro - was one of Lula's campaign promises, going in line with his pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030. On the first day of his third term as Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree reactivating the Amazon Fund. Careers, Fellowships, and Internships Open/Close.Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition. ![]() Science and Technology Innovation Program.Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative.The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative.Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.Nuclear Proliferation International History Project.North Korea International Documentation Project.Environmental Change and Security Program.Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy.
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