Experts discuss sustainable management proposals for Amazonian frontier regions

Last month, Fundação Getulio Vargas, represented by Professor Bianor Cavalcanti, took part in the first Regional Forum on Integrated Border Protection in the North-Northeast Arc, held in Manaus. Organized by the Presidential Institutional Security Office, the event brought together Brazilian and foreign officials, experts and representatives of various institutions to discuss strategies for strengthening security and promoting sustainable development in the border regions that make up the North-Northeast Arc.

FGV participated in a panel discussion titled “State Border Hubs: Local Management Models for Sustainable Development Along the Border.” During the session, Professor Cavalcanti had the opportunity to present the assumptions and attributes of a proposed territorial management model aimed at the sustainability of border municipalities in the Amazon, highlighting the importance of integrated planning that considers biodiversity preservation and the generation of economic opportunities for local communities. This proposal includes decentralized decisions, training for municipal government employees and the promotion of local entrepreneurship in the bioeconomy and forest management. Cavalcanti noted that FGV is a catalyzing agent in intergovernmental management and in supporting the modernization of public management in border municipalities.

“This forum is of great importance for strengthening dialogue on security and sustainable development along our borders. FGV can make a significant contribution to this discussion by sharing its expertise in territorial management and development, aligning security with sustainability in a concrete way,” Cavalcanti said.

The event was attended by public officials such as the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, and the presidential institutional security minister, General Marcos Amaro. The participating institutions included King’s College London, the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the Army Command and General Staff School, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, the Federal Police, the Armed Forces, the Ministry for Integration and Regional Development and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The main goals of the forum were to formulate a strategic diagnosis of cross-border and environmental crime in the Amazon, to strengthen Brazil’s Integrated Border Management Offices and to create new maritime borders protection structures. An official document presenting the event’s conclusions will be released by the Presidential Institutional Security Office in November.