Gathered in Belém this Tuesday (26), the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), announced an investment plan in bioeconomy for the Amazon. The initiative aims to leverage 1 billion euros (approximately R$ 5.3 billion) in public and private resources over the next four years. The amount should be directed both to the Amazon rainforest in Brazilian territory and to that in French Guiana (territory of the European country).
The program includes, among other actions, a technical and financial partnership between Brazilian public banks, including the Bank of the Amazon and BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), and the French Development Agency.
The plan also includes collaboration in the scientific field, with the creation of a research center, investment, and sharing of technologies, through a new scientific agreement between the two countries. This project should be operated by Embrapa and Cirad (French research center for agriculture). The presidents also announced a coalition to demand that carbon credit markets respect high standards, acting to combat so-called "greenwashing" and establish an international regulated market.
This is Macron's first visit to Latin America. The Frenchman landed at Belém's air base near 4 pm and headed to Estação das Docas, a famous tourist spot, where he met with Lula. Public access to both locations was prohibited. Macron arrived in the country for a three-day visit, after passing through French Guiana. He will spend a few hours in the Pará capital, where he visited, with Lula, Ilha do Combu, one of the largest in the city.