MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian gov't to up security in Amazon region

Brazil's government plans to set up an integrated center for federal and state government security forces in Manaus this year, Dino explained

Brazil's Security and Justice Minister Flávio Dino said Friday that the federal government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva intends to up the strength of the security forces in the crime-torn Amazon region, Agencia Brasil reported.

Dino made those remarks while participating in the 1st Environmental Judicial Summit in Belém promoted by the National Council of Justice (CNJ). Criminal factions in the region operate illegal mining, logging, and arms and drug trafficking activities, the minister added.

To increase the fight against crimes, the government promises to set up an integrated center for federal and state government security forces in Manaus this year. There is also a plan to create an international cooperation center that will be led by the Federal Police.

“We have to expand our presence in the Amazon territory. We are mobilizing something around R$ 2 billion to support new security, command, and control structures in the Amazon. In Manaus, we will set up a command center for the entire national force in the nine states of the Legal Amazon, set up a single command and units in the states with the necessary structures,” Dino said.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva, who also attended the event, said that back in 2003 also under Lula as president and her as minister, it took about a year to start reducing deforestation, which was attained only in 2004. “Now, with the learning curve, in six months, we have already achieved a 42% reduction in deforestation, just with command and control action.”

Silva added that an ecological transition plan is being drawn up in partnership with the Finance Ministry to foster sustainable development in the region. “More than saying what cannot, we put what can. There is room in the Amazon for sustainable agribusiness, there is room for sustainable tourism, extractivism, and bioindustry,” she concluded.

The two-day first Amazon Environmental Judicial Summit is held by the CNJ to discuss the participation of the Judiciary in environmental and climate change issues.

Regarding the Amazon Dialogues in Belém, Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency Márcio Macedo announced that “all people's organizations that have a concern or interface with sustainable development” will have a voice.

“These Amazon Dialogues will produce an important critical mass to serve as a framework for transformation in public policies within Brazil and in the countries of the Amazon,” he added.

In addition to the official plenary sessions, 405 activities organized by civil society will be held during the Amazon Dialogues until Sunday (6), an event prior to the Amazon Summit, which will bring together heads of state from the countries of the region between the 8th and 9th of next month.

The National President of the Amazon Working Group, Sila Mesquita, hopes that the debates will result in “policies that can actually affect the lives of Amazonian peoples and communities and the Pan-Amazon [countries that have the Amazon rainforest in their territory]”.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)