Brazil failed to invite the United States to participate in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) summit beginning on Tuesday – a notable omission given that President Joe Biden pledged 2.5 billion Brazilian reais ($500 million) to Brazil’s Amazon Fund this year.
Other countries that donated to the fund, such as Norway and Germany, are reportedly slated to participate in the summit by sending representatives.
The two-day ACTO summit hosted in the city of Belém by radical leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will gather the presidents of Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru, in addition to the European representatives.
Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro was slated to participate in the encounter but canceled his participation early Tuesday morning “on medical recommendation” due to an alleged ear infection; Venezuelan “vice president” Delcy Rodríguez will attend in his stead.
Ecuador and Suriname, also ACTO members, will reportedly be represented by their ministers.
The Brazilian government announced on Tuesday morning that it expects parties to sign a document dubbed the “Declaration of Belém.” The document will “include priorities to be established for the sustainable development of the [Amazon] region, taking into account both forest preservation and the social inclusion of families who live there.”
The document will also reportedly include a pact to “stop deforestation by 2030, end illegal gold mining, and cooperate on cross-border policing of environmental crime.”