Foreign Minister Yván Gil: It is a sovereign responsibility to preserve the Amazon Basin

Published at: 21/08/2025 04:46 PM

At a meeting of foreign ministers held this Thursday in Bogotá, Republic of Colombia, prior to the Summit of the States Parties to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (TCA), which will take place on August 22, the Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Yván Gil, assured that it is the world's sovereign responsibility to protect and preserve this important and invaluable plant lung.

“You cannot manage the Amazon Basin individually, in isolation by each country,” he said, referring to the fact that it is a joint responsibility of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA), made up of Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.

The meeting of foreign ministers took place in the “Simon Bolivar” room of the Palace of San Carlos, where the head of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Yolanda Villavicencio, welcomed her counterparts who adopted the commitments made in the Declaration of Bethlehem and the XIV, XV and XVI meetings.

“We congratulate Colombia for this call, for its management and we hope that the result will be truly important, impressive to demonstrate to the world that we are capable of managing our own model and demanding from the world the responsibility it must have to stop climate change, which is the main threat to our basin,” said Gil.

The Summit of the States Parties to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty aims to adopt a joint declaration that consolidates regional agreements, reflects shared priorities and guides concrete actions to address the environmental, social and climate challenges of the Amazon biome.

The OTCA, created in 1995, works within the framework of the implementation of the TCA, aimed at promoting the harmonious development of the Amazonian territories based on the joint actions of the eight countries involved, in order to obtain equitable and mutually beneficial results in the field of sustainable and sustainable development.

MPPRE