By María Eugenia Corvalán, Communication Specialist, GEF Amazon Project
The GEF Amazon project's objective is to contribute to the effective protection and sustainable use of the water and land resources of the Amazon Basin, based upon the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM), and management of the effects of climate change (CC) within Amazonian communities, in a coordinated and coherent way.
Working towards this goal, the GEF Amazon project is trying to create a shared vision for the Amazon River among the eight Amazonian countries - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela - through a deep understanding of the common problems, priorities, needs and goals.
Projects Main Outputs:
- Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA), based on targeted research about IWRM and hydro-climate vulnerability assessment. The TDA provides the scientific input for the Strategic Action Program;
- Strategic Action Program will be formulated based on the results and outputs of the Project activities;
- Integrated Information System (IIS) to enhance inter-country cooperation, information sharing and integrated basin management.
Innovative Elements of the Project:
- Contribute to the protection of one of the most important ecosystems of the planet;
- Foster the joint management and conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in Amazonian urban centers;
- Create an alliance among the academic communities, governmental institutions of natural resources management and local communities for the IWRM of the Basin;
- Integrate climate change problems into the natural resources management of a transboundary basin.
The project is implemented by UNEP and executed by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and its permanent secretariat. The project total cost is 52.2 million USD, funded with a GEF grant of 7 million USD and 45.2 million of co-financing.
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ACTO and the GEF Amazon Project
An interview with ACTO Secretary General, Ambassador Robby Ramlakhan
The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is an intergovernmental body that brings together the eight countries of the Amazon basin: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
This International Organization has its origins in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT), and was signed on July 3, 1978 to recognize the transboundary nature of the Amazon, reaffirm the sovereignty of the Amazon countries over their respective Amazon regions, and also to institutionalize and direct the regional cooperation process.
In 1995, the Amazon countries decided to strengthen the TCA, with the creation of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization and a Permanent Secretariat in Brasilia, Brazil. The decision was implemented in 1998 when ACTO was officially established as a mechanism responsible for strengthening the cooperation process.
ACTO has as its highest instance the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. It is supported by the Amazon Cooperation Council (ACC) and the Coordinating Commission for the Amazonian Cooperation Council (CCOOR).
In 2009, the Heads of State of Member Countries attributed the Organization with a \"new and modern role as a forum for cooperation