7-10 October 2009, Manaus, Brazil

On 7-10 October 2009, local governments, partners and academia gathered at the Amazon Summit in Manaus, Brazil, to discuss the importance of the role of the Amazon region in the climate debate. The location was of strategic importance for the meeting, as Manaus sits right in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Local governments that are located throughout the Amazon Region - not only from Brazil but also from Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru - were represented at the event.

The meeting successfully gathered local government’s representatives and associations to discuss forest management and the possibilities to implement the REDD mechanism in the region. The consensus was that Amazon cities must lead, in cooperation with the national governments, the fight against deforestation and work together to reduce its carbon emissions.

During the event, a Charter was signed by the local representatives of the region – the “Manaus Charter” - which will be taken to Copenhagen, in December, to be presented at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15). It recommends, among other proposals, the formulation of compensation programs for environmental services associated with the management and maintenance of forest cover. It also stimulates the adoption of clean technologies and renewable sources of energy and environment education.

This event and the Charter are an important step in the combat against climate change.

The event was organized by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM), the Amazonian Association of Municipalities (AAM) and the City of Manaus. It was supported by ICLEI-LACS, FLACMA and CIFAL.

For more information, please visit the summit website (in Spanish, English and Portuguese), or download the summit programme (in English).