Brazil has yet to confirm its participation in the Amazon summit scheduled for this August in Colombia. This absence was criticized yesterday by several congress members aligned with President Petro’s government in an open letter addressed to the president. The letter emphasized the importance of this summit, which is expected to produce an agreement for discussion at COP30 in Belém.
The document, signed by members of congress, Indigenous organizations, and Amazonian civil society organizations, urges the Colombian president to act swiftly to ensure the success of a summit that will discuss ways to preserve the planet’s lungs. This comes just weeks after Brazil’s Congress approved a law dismantling two decades of environmental legislation in the South American country.
Signatories include congress members from the ruling Historic Pact, such as Senator Julio Cesar Estrada and Representative Eduard Sarmiento, along with members from other parties. These include Congressman Juan Carlos Losada of the Liberal Party, Congresswoman Angelica Lozano from the Green Alliance, and even opposition representatives like Yenica Surgein Acosta from the Democratic Center.
Brazil has yet to confirm its presence at the Amazon summit taking place this August in Colombia
Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, will host the V Summit of Presidents of the States Party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT), scheduled for August 18-22.
The meeting aims to bring together the presidents of the eight Amazonian countries: Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. However, with just 22 days until the summit begins, Brazil—the country containing the largest portion of the Amazon basin—has still not confirmed its attendance.
This situation arises just weeks after the Brazilian Congress approved, in the early hours and with most members connected remotely, a controversial law that effectively dismantles two decades of environmental protection.
In this context, a group of congress members close to President Petro’s government, Amazonian Indigenous entities, and environmental organizations sent an open letter to Gustavo Petro expressing “a profound hope and a firm call to exercise regional leadership” at the August summit.
‘This Summit, occurring amid multiple environmental, climatic, social, and cultural threats facing the Amazon biome, represents a historic opportunity for the eight Amazonian countries (…) to advance together towards a common vision of effective Amazon protection, respect for Indigenous peoples and Amazonian communities, and a just ecological transition,” states the document.
Even more forceful was the intervention, in that regard, of Liberal congressman Juan Carlos Losada yesterday in the House of Representatives: “Pick up the phone, President Petro, and personally call the Amazonian presidents to come to Bogotá (…) so that they can fulfill the legitimate expectation (…) that the eight countries will arrive at COP30 with a single message (…) to demand resources from the global North to save what is left of our Amazon.”
‘Key meeting’ in Colombia ahead of Brazil’s COP30
Beyond expressing concern about the low confirmed attendance to date from the eight invited presidents, the signatories of the letter to President Gustavo Petro highlight the strategic importance of this Bogotá meeting. They see it not only as a high-level regional event but also as a key space on the path towards COP30, which will take place in Belém do Pará, Brazil.
In this regard, they emphasize the need to articulate a unified position for the Amazon bloc to strengthen regional influence in global climate debates. The letter urges that the Regional Amazon Dialogues, as a space for prior social participation, be provided the necessary guarantees for effective input into the Bogotá Declaration and the decisions made there.
“It is time for immediate and courageous decisions, and we know Colombia can set the example. The undersigned organizations reaffirm our willingness to contribute to, support, and strengthen all efforts aimed at protecting the continent’s green heart,” concludes the statement.
COP30 will be held from November 10 to 21 in Belém, an Amazonian city in Pará chosen to showcase the heart of the global climate crisis. The event’s goal is to lead with concrete results, not just speeches: Brazil seeks to drive implementation of the Paris Agreement and foster effective multilateralism.
Accordingly, COP30’s main challenges will focus on two key areas: balancing development with environmental impacts, and especially, climate financing.
The Amazon Summits: A key event for the defense of the rainforest
Each year, the eight countries that share the Amazon Basin gather at the so-called Amazon Summits, multilateral meetings whose central goal is to coordinate efforts to protect the largest tropical forest on the planet.
These summits, promoted within the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), aim to align policies for sustainable development, combat deforestation, and defend the rights of Indigenous communities.
In the context of a global climate crisis, the Amazon has gained strategic importance: it not only harbors unparalleled biodiversity but also plays a key role in regulating the global climate.
However, the challenges are immense: the advance of illegal mining, agricultural expansion, and forest fires threaten the region’s ecological balance.
The summits also allow for the establishment of common positions in international forums such as the climate change COPs and for defining joint mechanisms for green financing.
Although differences between countries persist, these meetings have been essential for keeping regional cooperation alive and reminding the world that the future of the Amazon is a shared responsibility.