On Saturday, January 2, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the UK Government announced a donation of £80 million (about R$500 million) from the United Kingdom to the Amazon Fund, during the 28th Amazon Fund Conference. United Nations Climate Change (COP-28).
At the conference, in a meeting held between the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and the Minister for Energy Security and Zero Emissions of the United Kingdom, Claire Coutinho, the British government announced its intention to make a new additional donation of 35 million pounds (about R$ 215 million) to the Fund.
These donations confirm the interest shown by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in cooperating with the Fund, which he announced in May 2023 during his meeting with President Lula. “This donation guarantees greater impact and greater convergence of public policies. Brazil wants to be the first country to reach zero emissions. We will achieve the goal we set at the Paris COP and count on international solidarity,” BNDES President Aloisio Mercadante said at the ceremony in Dubai. “.
“The presence of a Social Development Bank financing Amazon protection and sustainable development, 23 ministries working on the sustainability agenda and our accumulated experience in forest management are the foundation on which we will now implement this new cooperation,” said Minister Marina Silva, highlighting the “historic partnership” between Brazil and the United Kingdom. “It is a coming together of efforts: what Brazil is already doing and the support that comes from abroad to do more.”
Commenting on the new donation, Teresa Campello, Social and Environmental Director of BNDES, believes that this donation “diversifies the participation of other countries in the Amazon Fund, in addition to Norway, Germany, Switzerland and the United States, and highlights confidence in governance.” “Management of the Fund – today the main international cooperation instrument to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in the world.” Campillo also added that it “will allow the Fund to advance in a more aggressive way the Fund’s climate and anti-deforestation agendas, an action coordinated with public policy, represented by the Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Deforestation in the Legal Amazon.” (PPCDAM) which directs the application of resources.”
Donations
Among the new resource donations to the Amazon Fund announced this year, Germany disbursed €20 million (out of the contracted €35 million) in October. It has also been formalized and is in the process of disbursement, in addition to this contribution of 80 million pounds sterling from the United Kingdom, from Switzerland in the amount of 5 million Swiss francs, and from the United States of America, in the amount of 3 million US dollars. There are also donation intentions already expressed and in the negotiation process with the EU (€20 million), Denmark (DKK 150 million) and the USA (US$497 million, in addition to the US$3 million already contracted).
Amazon box
The Amazon Fund provides non-refundable support for actions to prevent, control and combat deforestation and to preserve and sustainably use the legal Amazon. Up to 20% of the resources could be used to develop deforestation monitoring and control systems in other Brazilian biomes and other tropical countries. Created in 2008, the Fund has already supported 106 projects, with a total investment of R$1.8 billion. According to effectiveness evaluations, the supported actions have benefited approximately 241,000 people through sustainable productive activities, as well as 101 indigenous territories in the Amazon region and 196 protection units. Other information about the Amazon Fund can be accessed on the initiative’s website (fundamazonia.gov.br), where all amounts already donated can also be found (www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/pt/
