Brasilia, 19 de Marzo de 2014
VIII MEETING OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP OF ACTO FOCAL POINTS IN THE MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
(Brasilia, March 19th, 2014)
REPORT TO ACC
In order to prepare for the XVIII Ordinary Meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Council, prior to the XIII Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the ACTO Focal Points in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs have gathered in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 19th, 2014.
The meeting was opened by Ambassador Clemente Baena Soares, Director of the Department of South American Affairs II of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and Head of the Brazilian delegation. Ambassador Soares welcomed all participants on behalf of his Government, highlighting the results achieved during the Extraordinary Meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, held last February in Bogota, and summoned all Focal Points to undertake their best efforts in order to advance in the proposals for the Cooperation Framework Agreement on forest fires, as well as the Mechanism for the Functioning of the Regional Observatory and the establishment of the Research Centers Network.
Next, the Secretary General of ACTO, Ambassador Robby Ramlakhan, thanked all the delegates of Member Countries for attending the meeting, underscoring the relevance of the meeting of Focal Points for the advancement of the mandate of the Amazon Cooperation Council. Ambassador Ramlakhan reported on his participation in the event hosted by the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS), held last March 18th, on the occasion of the launching of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN – Amazon), an initiative of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, which aims to find solutions for major global challenges.
The Secretary General mentioned that the lack of a global agreement on climate change forces us to take better care of our Amazon region, hoping that a meeting of the Focal Points may become an additional expression of the willingness of Member Countries to cooperate in addressing issues that require a joint approach.
1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The Agenda wasapproved unanimously and, together with the Meeting Program and the list of participants,are in Annex 1to these Minutes.
In addressing the meeting, the PS/ACTO Executive Director, Ambassador Mauricio Dorfler, made a presentation on the results of the Extraordinary Meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Council. Among other topics, he highlighted the progress made with regards to the Follow-up Matrix for regional activities and the approval of the 2014 budget and Work Plan. He also explained that the ACC has recommended the PS/ACTO to undertake all preparatory steps to organize an ACTO booth and side event within the framework of CoP 20. Within this context, Ambassador Dorfler highlighted the mandate for holding the VIII Meeting of the Ad-hoc Working Group of Focal Points and underscored the importance of making progress with regards to the points included in the agenda.
2.PROPOSAL FOR A COOPERATION FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ONFIGHTING BORDER FOREST FIRES BETWEEN ACTO MEMBER COUNTRIES
Following the introductory remarks made by some Delegations on the scope and content of the proposal for a Framework Agreement, which is being negotiated under a ministerial mandate, the Executive Director of PS/ACTO reported on the work done so far to promote a regional cooperation process to prevent and control forest fires in the Amazon, reporting on the results of the last videoconference, held on March 7th, 2014. Additionally, he informed that PS/ACTO has been preparing a proposal for a Regional Cooperation Program on the topic. Finally, he highlighted that the Deforestation Monitoring Project includes capacity building and monitoring activities regarding forest fires.
The Delegates agreed on the importance of taking into account that forest fires represent a highly sensitive issue for all ACTO Member Countries. In this context, they underscored the need to move ahead with regard to the proposal for a Framework Agreement, in compliance with the mandate of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. For that end, delegates reviewed the text prepared for this meeting.
In order to facilitate negotiations, the Brazilian Delegation offered to support PS/ACTO, in an open format for other Member Countries, to proceed with a review and adjustment of the proposal currently being considered. The same shall be sent by the Secretariat, as soon as possible, to all Member Countries for a new national consultation in each country.
Then after, a videoconference and, if possible, a meeting will be organized, prior to the next Ordinary Meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Council, to present a progress report.
- OPERATION MECHANISM FOR THE AMAZON REGIONAL OBSERVATORY AND PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RESEARCH CENTERS NETWORK
PS/ACTOmentioned the explanatory and proposal Note, dated last February 21st,regarding the relationship between the Amazon Regional Observatory and the Research Centers Network. Whereon, and in tune with the suggestion made by PS/ACTO, the proposed text was considered.
Once the proposal distributed for this VIII Meeting was considered, the Delegates agreed that, for the time being, it was relevant to address the issue of the Amazon Regional Observatory and the Research Centers Network separately, until greater progress is achieved with regard to the proposal for the establishment of the Research Centers Network. For that end, the Delegations of Ecuador and Venezuela, with the support of PS/ACTO, will carry out consultations in order to prepare a proposal collecting all the contributions made during the meeting.
With regard to the proposal for the Mechanism for the Functioning of the Amazon Regional Observatory, the Delegations agreed to request PS/ACTO to prepare a consolidated version to be distributed to Member Countries, including all contributions made and preserving the coherence of the proposal with a future decision on the establishment of the Research Centers Network, which will be submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Council that will precede the XIII Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
- PROPOSALS FOR THE XIII MEETING OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
Based on the proposed agenda, the Delegates addressed the following topics, which will be included in the Agenda for the XIII Meeting of ACTO Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
- Proposal for the effective participation of youth in ACTO. The PS/ACTO informed that Suriname has submitted a proposalon March 18th – the same that had been previously distributed to the Member Countries. The Suriname Delegation explained the scope of its proposal, and it was agreed upon that Member Countries will send their comments and suggestions as soon as possible.
- Proposal for implementing Resolution XII-MRE-ACTO/8/2013 for strengthening the effective participation of the Amazon society. Boliviainformed that it will submit a proposal for the establishment of an Amazon Forum.The Bolivia Delegation indicated that within a few days, through PS/ACTO, it will present a concrete proposal for the establishment of the aforementioned Forum.
The Brazilian Delegation informed that it has requested the postponement of the XIII Meeting to a later date. The Suriname Delegation, on the other hand, informed that no confirmations from other Ministers of Foreign Affairs have beenreceived so far and that the outcome of further consultations is being expected before proposing a new date.
- ACTO TIMETABLE OF ACTIVITIES
SP/ACTO informed that the Timetable of Activities for 2014 has been distributed, covering regional meetings, events and official missions. In that regard, it has requested Member Countries to undertake the necessary measures to ensure the participation of their Delegates. Member Countries requested that activities be addressed from a strategic perspective, so as to allow, as much as possible, a reduction in their number, by focusing on the most important ones, without losing sight of the intended goals.
- OTHERS ISSUES
The Brazilian Delegation informed that a meeting will be held in Manaus, in the last week of May, for a dialogue on the establishment of a Social Inclusion Network. It further informed that additional information will be sent to the other Member Countries, highlighting that the said meeting may contribute to the efforts towards mainstreaming social inclusion into the Amazon Cooperation Strategic Agenda.
The Peruvian Delegation informed that a new edition of the National Seminar on ACTO and its outlooks will be held in Madre de Dios and will address illegal mining and the actions of the Organization. It underscored the importance of holding the Regional Seminar on ACTO and its outlook, according to the mandate given by the Ministers and, therefore, requested that the last pending National Seminar be held. Thereon, the Venezuelan Delegation informed that it will hold its National Seminar during the second semester of 2014.
The Peruvian Delegation also expressed its interest in continuing the work on the adoption of the Commercial Navigation Regulation, a request that was endorsed by the Delegation of Brazil.
Afterwards, PS/ACTO informed that, within the framework of the fulfilment of one of the objectives of the phasing out of the Amazon Regional Program, capacity building courses have been offered and informations have been distributed to the participants and can be found in Annex XXX. Highlighting that the International Project Management Course is being offered to the ACTO Focal Points in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the PS asked to be informed about the names of the officials interested in participating in it. It is worth highlighting that the costs of participating in the courses will be borne by the PRA.
- APPROVAL OF THE REPORT OF THE VIII MEETING OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP OF ACTO FOCAL POINTS IN THE MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Delegates requested the PS/ACTO to prepare a draft Report and to submit it to the approval of participants as soon as possible, to receive additional comments and suggestions.
- CLOSING CEREMONY AND SIGNING OF THE MEETING MINUTES.
Delegates attending the VIII Meeting of Focal Points appreciated the warmth and hospitality of the city of Brasilia and of the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, highlighting the preliminary work done by the Permanent Secretariat, which allowed for a successful meeting.
March 19th, 2014.