Day 3 - UNAMAZ and the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF) establish partnership

As part of the 30th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30), a memorandum of understanding was signed this Wednesday afternoon (November 12th) at the Biodiversity and Climate House, located at the Vale Technological Institute in Belém (PA), between the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF Task Force) and the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ).

The initiative aims to promote cooperation between subnational governments and academic institutions, strengthening the joint action of universities and research centers in the jurisdictions that comprise the GCF Task Force throughout the Amazon.

The document was signed by the Pro Tempore President of UNAMAZ, Professor José Seixas Lourenço; Manuel Gambini Rupay (Government of Ucayali, Peru); Gladson Cameli (Government of Acre, Brazil); Tiyua Uynkar Kaniras (Mayor of Morona Santiago, Ecuador); Luiz Francisco Ruiz Aguilar (Government of Caquetá, Colombia); as well as Colleen Lyons (Senior Director) and Jason Gray (Project Director), who represented the Global Secretariat of the GCF Task Force.

The participants in the agreement will have until February of next year to establish a working group and develop a joint action plan. For GCF Senior Director Colleen Lyons, the signing of the memorandum represents an important milestone.

“This is a historic moment. The idea of ​​this memorandum is to develop leadership and reflect on how we can use research to promote sustainability, address climate change, and responsibly manage natural resources. We will conduct exchanges, research, and work together with secretaries and public servants. Most importantly, this is just the beginning. All GCF member states and other partners are invited to participate,” she emphasized.

During the ceremony, the Pro Tempore President of UNAMAZ, Professor José Seixas Lourenço, emphasized the importance of the institution as a network of knowledge and science in the Pan-Amazon region.

“Today we are 80 universities and institutions. We have a 2025-2030 strategic plan with integrated projects within the Pan-Amazonian network. I cite, for example, the climate change axis ‘Voices of Climate,’ led by our associated institutions,” he explained.

He added that, in addition to the member institutions of the Amazon Basin, UNAMAZ has been expanding its network of partners.

“We are now signing an agreement with the University of Guyana in Cayenne, and we are developing partnerships with universities in California and Colorado. We want the participation of other countries in the South-South axis and we are also in contact with the government of Indonesia,” informed Lourenço.

On that occasion, the professor also introduced the UNAMAZ team present at the event: Ambassador Carlos Lazary, senior consultant for the institution, and Marcelo Lima, deputy coordinator of UNAMAZ in Brasília.

Ascom/UNAMAZ