Presentation on the experience of the GEF Amazon Project with good practices with legal frameworks. Presentation delivered by Maria Apostolova at the 2nd Regional Targeted Workshop for GEF IW Projects in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1. II Regional Workshop for GEF IW Projects in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 14, 2013
Good practices with legal frameworks:
the experience of the GEF Amazon Project
Maria Apostolova
International Waters Specialist
PS/ACTO / GEF Amazon Project
Global
Environment
Facility
United Nations
Environment
Programme

3. Presentation overview
June 14, 2013
I. The GEF Amazon Project: General and
institutional context
II. The Amazon Basin: Strengthening the legal
frameworks
III. Good practices

4. GEF AMAZON Project: General overview
Project Objective:
Develop a Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the
Amazon Basin and create the necessary enabling
environment for the it future implementation.
Main Outputs:
 Shared Vision for the Amazon Basin
 Hydro-climate vulnerability atlas
 Integrated Information System
 Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA)
 Strategic Action Program (SAP)

5. Institutional Context
Agencies
• GEF / UNEP / PS-ACTO
National Project Execution Units in the 8 countries:
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bolivia)
• National Water Agency, ANA (Brazil)
• Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
(Colombia)
• National Water Secretariat , SENAGUA (Ecuador)
• Ministry of Public Works and Communication (Guyana)
• National Water Authority, ANA (Peru)
• Ministry of Labor, Technological Development and Environment
(Suriname)
• People’s Power Ministry for the Environment (Venezuela)

6. Project Components
Subproject I.1
Vision for the
Amazon Basin
Subproject I.2
Strengthening
the legal and
institutional
framework
Component II
Understanding the natural
resources base
Component II
Understanding the natural
resources base
Subproject II.1
Targeted
research
Subproject II.2
Hydro-climate
Vulnerability
Atlas
Subproject II.3
Formulation of
the TDA
Subproject III.1
Pilot Projects
Subproject III.2
Priority Adaptation
Measures
Subproject III.3
Integrated Information
System
Subproject III.4
Communication,
Outreach, and Finance
Subproject III.5
SAP
Component III
Response Strategies
Component III
Response Strategies
Component IV
Project Management
Component IV
Project Management
Component V
Monitoring and Evaluation
Component V
Monitoring and Evaluation

7. Amazon Basin: Legal frameworks
• Regional legal
framework: the
Amazon Cooperation
Treaty
• Regional soft law:
Ministerial
Declarations
• National legal
frameworks
• Amazon Cooperation
Strategic Agenda
•Andean Strategy on
IWRM

8. Amazon Cooperation Treaty
1978/1980
Preservation
of Species:
Fauna and
Flora
Incorporation to
National
EconomiesWater
Resources
Indigenous
Peoples
Education
Health
Scientific
Investigation
and
Technology
Navigation
Tourism
Trade:
Populations at
bordersInfrastructure:
Transport and
Communications
Environmental
Conservation
/ Sustainable
Development
South/South
Cooperation
Decisions by
Consensus
Sovereignty
THE AMAZON COOPERATION TREATY
L
I
N
E
S
O
F
A
C
T
I
O
N
PRINCIPLE
AREAS

9. 9
FROM ACT TO THE ACTO
1978/80 1980/89
SIGNATURE
OF THE
TREATY AND
ENTRY INTO
FORCE
STAGE OF ASSERTION OF
SOVEREIGNTY
•Redemocratization
•Economic Crisis
•Natural Resources
•Amazon not priority
ESTABLISHMENT
OF SPECIAL
COMMITTEES OF
THE AMAZON
INSTITUTIONAL
WORK OF
TECHNICAL
COMMISSIONS,
PROGRAMS AND
PROJECTS
CREATION OF THE
ORGANIZATION
AND ITS
PERMANENT
SECRETARIAT
CROSS-BORDER
COOPERATION
1989/95 1995/02
STRATEGIC PLAN
2004 – 2012
EXPANSION OF
FUNDING
PORTFOLIO
2002/09

10. Polítical Process – soft law

11. Polítical Process – soft law
Political Process
• XI Meeting of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the
Amazon Cooperation Treaty (TCA),
Manaus Commitment, Brazil, 22 November 2011
• II Meeting of the Ministers of Environment
Lima – Peru, 21 March 2012
• XII Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the TCA
de MRE, El Coca Declaration, Ecuador, 3 May 2013
•Institutional Strengthening of the PS/ACTO
• Articulate, facilitate, coordinate, manage regional and
international cooperation actions, generate regional
information.

12. Polítical Process – soft law –Declaration of
Manaos
• Principle guidelines:
 Building a comprehensive vision of Amazon regional cooperation.
 Identification of actions to reduce and monitor deforestation, to promote
the issue of forest resources sustainably, implementation of urgent
measures to ensure the preservation and conservation of the
biodiversity.
 Strengthening institutional and political mechanisms concerning
indigenous and tribal communities of the ACTO.
 Protection, management, preservation of the water resources.
 Generation of actions to promote food security and hunger erradication
in the possible shortest term.
 Coordination of environmental health surveillance, implementation of
actions in border areas and adoption of prevention mechanisms.
 Promotion of eco-tourism.
 Impetus to a regional agenda for science and technology.
 Monitoring by the PS / ACTO of the international negotiations on main
issues for the Amazon cooperation.

13. ACTO: Strategic Amazon Cooperation Agenda

14. ACTO: Strategic Amazon Cooperation Agenda
• ACTO – Vision of Future
• “An Organization recognized within the
Member Countries and internationally as
a reference in regional cooperation,
discussion and positioning on the issues
of the international agenda related to the
Amazon and in the exchange of
experiences, acting upon the principles
of full excercise of sovereignty in the
Amazon region: respect and harmony
with nature, comprehensive sustainable
development and reduction of
asymmetries of the States in the
Region.”

16. Strengthening legal frameworks:
GEF Amazon Project
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
Obtain and consolidate information on national legal norms and
regulations on water resources management and related
areas in the 8 basin countries, identifying differences and
possible gaps as well as opportunities for cooperation.

17. Strengthening legal frameworks
Inventory and analysis of national legal frameworks:
• Regional Group of Experts (8 countries) / Methodological
Protocol
• Inventory and analysis of national constitutional and infra-
constitutional legislation on water resources, biodiversity and
climate change
• Proposals for strategic actions
• Proposals for strategic actions

18. Strengthening legal frameworks
Inventory and analysis of regional and international
legal instruments
1.Amazon Cooperation Treaty and ACTO
2.International instruments
3.Internalization of international legal instruments and hierarchy
of the treaties
Inventário e análise dos textos internacionais
4. Propostas: estratégias PAE

19. Good practices from the Amazon Project
• Promote exchange of information and experiences on
legal frameworks between the participating countries
• Promote capacity building
• Involve national experts from all countries
• Methodological protocols

20. Good practices from the Amazon Project
• Analyze international legal instruments signed by the
countries in order to identify common base and
principles
• Identify general guidelines and/or directives, not specific
legislation
• Validate results at the national technical and political
levels
• Consolidate information and disseminate

21. Gracias, Thank you, Obrigado, Dank U