Towards an Amazon with a human face

Amazonian communities play a central role in the sustainable and inclusive development of our Amazon. This is the message that Peru will bring to the Summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation – ACTO.

A message that Peru conveys through a vision: "Towards an Amazon with a human face" that emphasises the central importance of indigenous peoples in the development of the Amazon, promoting their participation as well as the pluricultural and multi-ethnic condition of the region.

The Amazon is an essential part of our identity, of our projection to the world and of our cultural diversity; 51 out of 55 of our indigenous peoples, and 44 out of our 48 native languages are Amazonian.

The Amazon covers 61% of the national territory. We are the country with the second largest extension of Amazon rainforests. The Amazon River, source of life and subsistence for the eight Amazonian countries, originates in our Andes.

Peru is a megadiverse country and the Amazon occupies a central space, hosting one of the richest and most complex ecosystems on the planet, and it is also an important carbon sink with a key role in the absorption of greenhouse gases.

In addition, indigenous peoples play a key role in safeguarding 80% of the world's diversity, a fact recognised by the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biological Diversity.

COP21 established the Platform of Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples to make their voices heard and to facilitate their participation in global climate debates. Its national counterpart is the Indigenous Peoples' Platform on Climate Change, the only one of its kind in the world, which disseminates and follows up on indigenous peoples' proposals.

At the regional level, Peru deploys its efforts for the Amazon in ACTO, the only socio-environmental bloc in Latin America, whose mission is to promote its harmonious development. Therefore, I welcome the holding of the next Summit in Brazil.