Amazon Fund seminar in Oslo 28th May
What can we learn from the Brazilian Amazon Fund?
Time: Friday 28th May, 10:00-12:00.
Venue: Miljøhuset G9, Grensen 9b, Oslo. 6th floor.
20. mai 2010
The Brazilian Amazon Fund is one of the key mechanisms for channeling REDD resources to tropical forests. Established in 2008 in the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) its main goal is "to finance projects contributing to the prevention and combat against deforestation, as well as to the preservation and sustainable use of the Amazon biome." (www.amazonfund.gov.br) The development of the Amazon Fund will be crucial for the global REDD debate and architecture in the years to come.
The Norwegian Government has granted up to USD 1 billion to the Amazon Fund until 2015, and is by May 2010 the only donor. Norway's support is managed by the Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative (NFCI), and the first funds (NOK 123 millions, approximately USD 20 millions) were transferred in 2009. By now, five projects have been approved by the BNDES, while more than 50 have been accepted for analysis.
On the day following the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference (www.oslocfc2010.no), Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) and Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) of Brazil convenes a seminar to discuss the current status and challenges facing the Amazon Fund. This will be the first public event where actors from different sectors in Norway and Brazil can meet to discuss the Fund.
Suggested topics for the seminar include:
- What made the Amazon Fund such a unique opportunity that the Norwegian Government granted up to USD 1 billion?
- What are the different actors' assessments of the Amazon Fund after almost two years of existence?
- How are the challenges regarding transparency, indigenous peoples' rights and biodiversity met?
- How will the outcomes of the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference influence the development of the Amazon Fund and similar REDD mechanisms?
Participants:
- Lars Løvold, director, Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN)
- Adriana Ramos, executive secretary, Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)
- Inge Nordang, Minister Counselor, Norwegian Embassy in Brazil
- Thaís Linhares-Juvenal, director climate change issues, Brazilian Ministry of Environment (MMA)
The seminar will be held in English.