French President reinforces support for climate agenda and preservation of the Amazon

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, began his visit to Brazil, at the invitation of President Lula, on the island of Combu, in Pará, where the chief Raoni Metuktire was awarded with the highest commendation granted by the French government. On the occasion, the presidents adopted declarations in the environmental area, a priority of the Brazilian mandate in the G20. They were: Brazil-France Call for Climate Ambition from Paris to Belem and Beyond; and Action Plan on the Bioeconomy and the Protection of Tropical Forests.

On the agenda was the award honor of the National Order of the Legion of Honor to chief Raoni Metuktire, who received it from the hands of French President Emmanuel Macron. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and various authorities accompanied the tribute, which had great significance for the Brazilian indigenous peoples.

Instituted on May 20, 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the honor is the highest award offered by the Government of France and is granted to French citizens and foreigners who stand out for their activities on the global stage. "Mr. Raoni Metuktire, on behalf of the French Republic, consider yourself a Knight of the Legion of Honor," stated President Macron, as he presented the commendation to the 92-year-old indigenous leader.

Speaking in his own language, Raoni affirmed that he would continue his struggle. "I have never agreed with deforestation, the extraction of wood, the extraction of minerals, gold, these exploitations, this destruction. I'm worried that the white man continues to do this kind of activity. We're feeling the climate change, we're feeling the heat, and I'm worried because if this work of destruction continues we could have serious problems for all of us in the world," he warned.

In his speech, President Lula recalled the commitments made during his three terms as President of the Republic and reinforced Brazil's goal of achieving zero deforestation by 2030. "I am absolutely certain that our government is already the government that has remarked the most indigenous land and it is the government that will continue to remarket indigenous land and will continue to remarket forest reserve parks so that we avoid deforestation. We have a commitment to reach zero percent deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. It wasn't anyone who asked us, it wasn't any convention that asked us, it was us in the government who decided that we're going to take the fight against deforestation as a profession of faith. We're going to prove to the world that we're going to preserve our Amazon," stated Lula.

Belem Appeal

The two presidents also announced that the Brazilian and French governments have signed the so-called "Belem Appeal" (Brazil-France call for climate ambition from Paris to Belem and beyond), an agreement that aims to support the climate agenda, the preservation of the Amazon and indigenous peoples on several fronts. 

"With President Lula, we decided to launch the Belem Appeal, where together we will move forward in this fight and take very concrete decisions. We will invest, each one, one billion dollars, each country, for biodiversity and economic activities compatible with the interests of indigenous peoples, which will allow them to have development prospects and conserve our forest," detailed Macron. 

"We are also going to relaunch cooperation activities and the fight against illegal mining and the fight against all the short-term financial interests that come here to threaten the forest. What we want to do is preserve it, get to know it better, multiply scientific cooperation, undertake strategies to support indigenous peoples and, together, carry out actions to invest in the bioeconomy so that it grows," continued the French president.

Action Plan

During their visit to Belém, Presidents Lula and Macron adopted two important environmental declarations: the Brazil-France call for climate ambition from Paris to Belem and beyond; and the Action Plan on the Bioeconomy and the Protection of Tropical Forests.

In the first, the two leaders pledged to work on a bilateral and multilateral scope to make action against climate change a strategic priority. Lula and Macron underlined the importance of an effective, renewed and inclusive multilateralism, under the aegis of the United Nations, particularly to face up to the multiple social and environmental crises underway.

In the Action Plan on the Bioeconomy and Protection of Tropical Forests, the two countries will work to promote forest protection in view of the United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP30, which will be held in Belém in 2025.