On August 20, 2025, ICCF Colombia, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia and with the support of the Bezos Earth Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), co-hosted a high-level technical briefing and parliamentary dialogue on forest and ecosystem restoration in the Amazon. The event was held at the National Library in Bogotá, Colombia, as part of the V Amazonian Presidential Summit organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The dialogue brought together more than fifteen parliamentarians from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Suriname, along with representatives of civil society, academia, and international partners. Over four hours of exchange, participants agreed that preventing deforestation alone will not be sufficient to secure the Amazon’s biodiversity and ecological functions. Large-scale forest restoration was identified as a strategic pillar for climate resilience, rural development, and sustainable economic opportunities for the region’s inhabitants.
Key issues discussed included:
- The threats posed by illegal mining, mercury contamination, and deforestation linked to illicit economies.
- The urgency of protecting rivers, indigenous territories, and environmental defenders.
- Opportunities for traceability and sustainable value chains in gold, beef, cocoa, and coffee.
- The potential of community-based tourism and bioeconomy models to generate jobs and income while conserving ecosystems.
Parliamentarians unanimously endorsed the strengthening of inter-parliamentary cooperation, the harmonization of environmental policies, and the creation of regional mechanisms for oversight, restoration, and biodiversity protection.
These commitments were formalized in a signed Declaration, which calls for:
- Establishing an Amazonian Regional Initiative for Forest Restoration coordinated with national governments.
- Creating an Amazon Parliamentary Observatory on Forest Restoration, supported by universities, research centers, and indigenous organizations.
- Advancing a regional certification scheme for Amazonian products with verifiable sustainable origin.
- Mobilizing climate finance from mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Amazon Fund.
The Bogotá dialogue underscored that “restoring the forest means restoring hope.” It highlighted the central role of parliaments in shaping laws, budgets, and accountability to drive sustainable development and safeguard the Amazon. With key milestones ahead—including COP16 in Colombia and COP30 in Brazil—parliamentarians reaffirmed their commitment to advancing a shared agenda that unites science, traditional knowledge, and political leadership for a living and thriving Amazon.
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