In Brazil, Secretary Kerry advanced the US-Brazil Climate Change Working Group, relaunched by Presidents Biden and Lula during their meeting on February 10. He met with senior government officials, congressional representatives, and civil society leaders to discuss opportunities for Brazil and the United States to collaborate in combating the climate crisis, halting and reversing deforestation, advancing the transition to clean energy, and building a strong bioeconomy.
According to Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, the United States commits to raising substantial resources for the Amazon Fund, although the Americans have yet to define a specific amount to be donated.
The statements were made following a meeting between Alckmin and the US Special Climate Envoy, John Kerry, at the Itamaraty Palace, which also included the presence of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and other representatives from the Brazilian and US governments.
“Envoy John Kerry did not specify an amount but stated that he will work together with the government, the US Congress, and the private sector to secure substantial resources, not only for the Amazon Fund but also for other cooperations,” Alckmin said after the meeting.
The US intention to contribute to the Amazon Fund, recently reactivated by the Brazilian government, was announced in February during the Brazilian president’s visit to the US.
The US ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley, said this month that the amount to be donated to the Amazon Fund is still being defined by the US government and Congress.Amazon Fund
The Amazon Fund aims to finance projects to reduce deforestation and monitor the biome. The financing mechanism had been deactivated under the previous government and has now been reactivated in compliance with a determination from the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The fund currently has R$ 5.4 billion, of which R$ 1.8 billion has already been contracted, and there are 14 projects from the 2018 call for proposals ready for approval.
Created in 2008, the fund receives donations from institutions and international governments to finance actions to prevent and combat deforestation in the Legal Amazon. In 2019, Germany and Norway suspended transfers for new projects after the Brazilian government, under Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, proposed changes to the allocation of resources and the elimination of committees to manage the funds.Source: Agência Brasil