Belem Declaration

Why in news?

• At the Amazon Summit, leaders from the eight countries across the Amazon have adopted the Belem Declaration.
• The summit was organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).

About Belem Declaration:

• The Balem Declaration was adopted at the Amazon Summit.
• The declaration recognizes Indigenous knowledge as a condition for biodiversity conservation and calls for ensuring full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making and public policy formulation processes.
• The declaration created an alliance for combatting forest destruction, with countries left to pursue their individual deforestation goals.
• It also created a science body for annual reports on Amazon rainforest like the UN’s Climate Change Panel.

About Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO):

• Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is an intergovernmental organization signed in 1978 and created in 1995.
• ACTO aims to promote the harmonious development of the Amazonian territories in such a way that the joint actions of the Amazonian countries produce equitable and mutually beneficial results in achieving the sustainable development of the Amazon Region
• Member countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
• Secretariat: Brasilia, Brazil

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization’:

1. All the members of the organization are South American countries

2. Balem Declaration is adopted under the aegis of this organization

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer