Amazon leaders gather in Belém
Aug. 8, 2023
The Amazon summit that started today in Brazil “represents a handbrake turn in Brazilian government policy,” reports the Guardian. The leaders of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru are in attendance, while Venezuela, Ecuador and Suriname sent high-level officials. (See yesterday’s post.)
At the summit’s opening session, Lula said the “severe escalation of the climate crisis” meant the need for regional cooperation was “more pressing than ever before.”
Leaders are expected to announce the final agreement, known as the Belem Declaration, late today. It will likely include financing mechanisms for sustainable development, provisions for including Indigenous leaders in policymaking, and shared strategies for tackling deforestation, reports Reuters.
Among the issues to be discussed at the meeting are a possible deal to halt deforestation by 2030 and joint efforts to fight rampant illegal mining and the organized crime groups in the rainforest region, reports the Guardian.
It has been 14 years since the last meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, “a toothless, 45-year-old alliance that has met only three times before,” notes the Associated Press. Lula has said he hopes the Belem summit will awaken the long-dormant organization.
There is a growing recognition that targeting organized crime is key to protecting the Amazon. (See last Friday’s post.) Lula has already announced that Brazil will create a center for international police cooperation in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon. “The announcement underscored governments’ realization that isolated raids and crackdowns have been ineffective,” reports the Associated Press.
The event has put a spotlight on Belém, the capital of Pará, the state with the highest deforestation rate in Brazil, and has been cause for celebration in a region that often feels forgotten, reports the BBC.
The summit is also something of a dress rehearsal for the COP30 UN climate talks, which will also take place in Belém, in 2025, notes AFP.
Haiti
Several thousand people marched in Port-au-Prince yesterday demanding protection from violent gangs. Participants covered their faces to conceal their identities, and were dispersed by police with tear gas, reports the Associated Press.
Today the U.S. embassy in Haiti said it was closing down due to gunfire nearby, reports CBS.
UNICEF identified an alarming spike in the abductions of women and children in Haiti, where nearly 300 cases have been reported in the first six months of this yea. The number is close to the total documented in 2022 and is close to three times more than what was recorded in 2021, reports the Miami Herald.
There are fears in Haiti that an international security mission — which Kenya volunteered to lead — would strengthen the hand of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, reports Responsible Statecraft.
Migration
Colombia is not helping slow the record flow of migrants through the Darién Gap, said Panama’s top immigration official on Sunday. In April, the United States, Panama and Colombia agreed to try to crack down on the smuggling rings that bring migrants through the gap, but the official said there has been a lack of information sharing and joint action on the part of Colombia, reports the Associated Press.
Colombia
A year after Colombian President Gustavo Petro took office, his ambitious agenda has been stalled by congress, and undermined by a campaign finance scandal involving his eldest son, reports the Associated Press. “Petro is facing growing doubts about his ability to fulfill his promises in the remainder of his four-year term.”
Taking stock, yesterday, Petro emphasized the "Total Peace" process, the negotiations with the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army, and the conversations with other illegal armed groups, reports Telesur.
Regional
A new book by journalist Deborah Bonello, Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America’s Cartels, examines the roles women play in organized crime and argues that their participation in criminal activities deserves further study — InSight Crime.
Brazil
Brazil's central bank signaled a low probability of accelerating rate cuts, today. (Reuters)
A growing number of Brazilians are reclaiming their Indigenous identity: the number of people identifying as Indigenous has increased by nearly 90% in just 12 years, from 896,917 to 1.69 million, according to new census data published this week. (Guardian)
Venezuela
Venezuela’s opposition-led parallel congress is finalizing an agreement with international creditors to extend a legal deadline on $60 billion of defaulted bonds, reports Bloomberg. The parallel assembly is recognized in the US as the country’s legal representative.
A Guardian photoessay features the activists calling for reform of Venezuela’s severe anti-abortion laws, which dictate up to six years in prison for those who have or provide abortions.
Critter Corner
“Off the western shores of Central and South America, there is a Lovecraftian, lava-licked realm thousands of feet beneath the ocean.” Though scientist long believed it to be a lifeless area, last month a diving robot turned over a rock and discovered ”an explosion of animal life — including an abundance of tubeworms, bizarre creatures that resemble sentient spaghetti,” reports the New York Times.