Sepi strengthens the protagonism of indigenous peoples of Pará in the development of Amazon Fund projects
Held in the federal capital, the event aims to build public policies focused on the indigenous and traditional populations of the Legal Amazon
Brasília (DF) is hosting until this Thursday (17) a workshop with all the secretariats and representative bodies of the indigenous peoples from the nine states of the Legal Amazon. The unprecedented action, which opened on Tuesday (15), discusses the development of a regional project that will be submitted to the Amazon Fund, with the aim of strengthening public policies aimed at the indigenous and traditional populations of the region. The meeting also addressed the needs of the secretariats of indigenous peoples and original peoples from all over Brazil in accessing funding to meet their local demands.
Members of the State Secretariat for Indigenous Peoples (Sepi) represented the Pará government at the workshop, a strategic space for articulation and collective construction. Secretary Puyr Tembé emphasized the importance of Sepi's active presence in these spaces for discussions on future public policies.
Diversity - "Sepi's participation in this space is essential to ensure that the projects built with the support of the Amazon Fund, in coordination with the Legal Amazon Consortium, strengthen the Secretariat of Indigenous Peoples of Pará and other states, reflecting the reality of the Amazon region. Pará is one of the most strategic states for forest protection. Here, we have a diversity of indigenous peoples who protect many territories, contributing to the maintenance of life on the planet. Therefore, it is necessary that the voices of indigenous peoples are at the center of these decisions," said Puyr Tembé.
The representative of the Legal Amazon Consortium, Saul Isaías, emphasized the importance of the meeting, stating that "our goal is to create a proposal that addresses social inequalities and promotes sustainable development for the indigenous communities of the Legal Amazon. Each secretary, each server, has an essential role in turning this proposal into reality."
The agenda was promoted by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), manager of the Amazon Fund, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, and with the support of GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), a German international cooperation company for sustainable development, and Emboé, an organizational management consultancy.
Jéssica Galvino, a consultant from Emboé, reinforced the central role of active listening in this process. "The main importance of us being gathered here this week is to build a regional project that is meaningful and relevant, and meets the needs of indigenous populations. And to build this, especially in a participatory and collaborative manner," she emphasized.
Mobilization - The initiative seeks to ensure that the proposal is representative, participatory, and capable of generating direct impact on communities. For Bernardo Mudjalieb, a technician from Emboé, the purpose of the meeting goes beyond the technical elaboration of the project. "This event is much more than developing a project for the Amazon Fund, which is already a grand endeavor. We need regional mobilization so that we can generate impact at the grassroots level, for the original peoples, solving problems and needs that are so pressing and that the project can help address," said the technician.
Throughout the program, participants received guidance on project development, technical selection criteria, and partnership models that expand the reach of actions in indigenous territories and forest protection areas. The focus is on sustainable proposals that have a direct impact on the lives of traditional populations and in facing the climate crisis.
Inclusion - The Amazon Fund is considered one of the main sources of funding for environmental conservation projects, social inclusion, and strengthening public policies in the states of the Legal Amazon. Since its creation in 2008, it has allocated more than R$ 3.4 billion in resources, with a direct impact on forest preservation and the lives of Amazonian communities.
The construction of regional proposals for the Amazon Fund also directly dialogues with the commitments that Brazil will present at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30), which will be held in Belém next November. By actively participating in the development of these proposals, Sepi reaffirms Pará's protagonism in the global climate agenda, ensuring that indigenous peoples are at the center of strategies to confront the environmental crisis. The initiative strengthens public policies aimed at forest conservation, combating inequalities, and sustainable development with the protagonism of original peoples.
Pará's participation, through Sepi, also reaffirms the State's commitment to valuing indigenous peoples and building sustainable solutions for the development of the Amazon.
Text: Jaelta Souza - Ascom/Sepi
