Wakaya - 2021

May

Approval of ACTO’s Regional Program on Biological Diversity for the Amazon Basin/Region

Throughout 2020 and in early 2021, ACTO’s Regional Program on Biological Diversity for the Amazon Basin/Region was established in a participatory manner by several actors. For its creation, the support provided by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), and the German Federal Ministry of Economic and Development Cooperation (BMZ) was fundamental. Implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and running from August 2020 to July 2022, the “Biomaz Project: Regional management of Amazon biodiversity” to provide ACTO with technical and funding support to create a regional strategic framework for the coordinated management of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Amazon region that led to the establishment of the program.

July

Launch of ACTO’s Regional Program on Biological Diversity for the Amazon Basin/Region

On July 1st, ACTO's Regional Program on Biological Diversity for the Amazon Basin/Region was officially launched in commemoration of the 43rd anniversary of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT). The roll-out webinar was attended by representatives from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the eight Amazon-based countries – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

September

Presentation of the ACTO Regional Biodiversity Programme for the Amazon Basin/Region to the international community

During her participation in the "Amazonia 2.0: connected by our forests" forum, held on September 6 during the World Conservation Union (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, OTCA Secretary General Alexandra Moreira highlighted the Regional Biodiversity Programme for the Amazon Region, as well as the completion of the Rapid Analysis of the State of Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Services study. In her speech, the Secretary General called on multilateral institutions and cooperation agencies to join the Amazonian regional effort of ACTO, in search of concrete cooperation actions for a harmonious management of biological diversity.

October

Quick analysis of the state of biological diversity and ecosystems

The first activity of the Regional Program on Biological Diversity of the Basin/Amazon Region – the quick analysis of the state of biological diversity and ecosystems – was conducted in collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt research institute in Colombia. The first meeting of analysis authors took place on October 8, 2021, with the participation of 116 people, including the authors, chapter coordinators and co-chairs selected by the Member Countries to lead the work on the analysis. The meeting was also attended by the president of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Ana María Hernández, and representatives of the national assessments for Colombia and Brazil.

December

Approval of the Strategic Communication Action Plan

With support from the "OTCA Biomaz Project: Regional Management of Amazonian Biodiversity", implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Communication Action Plan was structured and approved to promote and consolidate the Regional Program for Biological Diversity of the Amazon Basin/Region as a framework for managing biological diversity and protecting the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, local and traditional communities in the Amazon Basin/Region. Among the plan's actions are the relationship with the press and influencers, the presence in social media and events, the training in communication of local communicators and institutional visibility actions - such as the creation of a fantasy name for the program, a website and other communication materials.