The institutional mission of BNDES, which consists of promoting the sustainable and competitive development of the Brazilian economy, with job creation and reduction of social and regional inequalities, is fully aligned with the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In its efforts to fulfill its mission, BNDES creates financial support instruments that allow it to respond to the challenges expressed in the SDGs, assess the impacts of supported projects and foster integration between economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.
In this context, the Bank materializes its commitment as an inducer of sustainable development, offering financial incentives for financing lines aimed at topics directly related to the SDGs such as health, environment, education, sanitation, renewable energy, innovation and urban mobility.
Here we will highlight the role of BNDES as manager of the Amazon Fund, a pioneering REDD+ initiative (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), created in 2008 within the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Amazon Fund receives voluntary donations from countries and companies for non-reimbursable application in actions to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation, in addition to promoting actions aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of the forest in the Legal Amazon. In addition, up to 20% of the Fund's resources may be allocated to support the development of systems to monitor and control deforestation in other Brazilian biomes and in other countries with tropical forests.
The Amazon Fund's actions are directly and intrinsically related to the Sustainable Development Goals in numbers 13 It is 15. In SDG 13, which aims to combat global warming, we have the reduction of deforestation that directly contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions, in addition to reforestation that captures carbon from the atmosphere and increases the resilience of ecosystems, and also the strengthening of environmental governance, very important for the implementation of public policies on climate issues.
In relation to SDG 15, which aims to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, the Amazon Fund's actions are fully integrated, as the Fund's main objective is to protect the Amazon rainforest, one of the greatest expressions of the wealth of terrestrial biodiversity, which is still largely unknown.
In close cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, BNDES manages the Fund, being responsible for raising and applying its resources, selecting and monitoring supported projects, reporting to society and donors, and communicating the results obtained in a transparent and continuous manner.
As of July 2017, the Amazon Fund had received R$2.85 billion in donations, of which R$97.41 billion came from the Norwegian government, R$2.11 billion from the German government through its KfW development bank, and R$0.51 billion from Petrobras. In terms of where the funds are being used, the Amazon Fund currently has a robust portfolio of 89 supported projects, of which 12 have already been completed. The financial resources earmarked for these projects total R$1.4 billion. Of this amount, R$521 billion has already been disbursed.
The Amazon Fund's support for the 88 contracted projects has enabled, among others, the following results:
Expansion of the satellite deforestation detection system (INPE and CENSIPAM);
- 114 environmental agencies strengthened;
- 105 thousand people benefited from sustainable productive activities;
- 27 thousand indigenous people directly benefited;
- 63% of the supported indigenous lands in the Amazon;
- 281 thousand rural properties registered in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR);
- 389 institutions directly or through partners;
- 397 thousand km2 – 11% larger than Germany – protected areas with strengthened management (Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units);
- 106 Conservation Units supported;
- 111 scientific or informative publications produced;
- 9.5 million hectares of sustainably managed forests; and
- Carrying out forest inventory and research to produce new knowledge and technologies.
The Amazon Fund seeks to highlight its contribution to sustainable development so that this agenda becomes increasingly stronger and guides the efforts of all peoples towards the common good.
To learn more about the initiative, visit: www.fundoamazonia.gov.br
