Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the international community’s role in preserving the Amazon rainforest during a meeting with foreign media correspondents in Brasília on Wednesday.
He stated, “We realize our responsibility in persuading the world that investing in the forest is profitable.”
When asked about the importance of sustainable development for the region, Lula reiterated that the world must assist in preserving and developing the Amazon.
He further emphasized that his government would be very strict in combating deforestation.
This statement comes less than a week before a summit in Belém (Northern Brazil) for countries that encompass the largest tropical forest on the planet.
For the first time since 2009, representatives from the eight member states of the “Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization” (ACTO) will gather next week to discuss policies for protecting the rainforest.