Billions to the Amazon Fund is wasted

Amazon River Amazon FundThe Amazon River. Photo: Amazon Fund

Norway’s contribution to the Amazon Fund is wasted

“Norway’s billions contributed against the deforestation of the rainforest in the Amazon have been wasted,” Brazil’s Minister for the Environment, Ricardo Salles, believes.


Norway has donated just over NOK 8.3 billion to the Amazon Fund over the past ten years – and is thus by far the largest donor.

“Brazilian Minister for the Environment, Ricardo Salles, now advocates that the billions contributed by Norway have been to no avail,” writes VG.

 “That deforestation has diminished because of the contracts of the Amazon Fund is purely an interpretation,” Salles said during a press conference on Thursday, according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo

“There is nothing in the reports from the Amazon Fund that can lead to such a conclusion,” the minister continues.

“The Ministry has reviewed a quarter of the Amazon Fund’s contracts, which reveal poor reporting of results, high salaries and contracts that have been entered into without competition,” Salles concludes

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Elevestuen disagrees

The Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Ola Elvestuen (Liberals) disagrees that the Amazon Fund has failed.

“The fund as a whole has certainly contributed to reduced deforestation. Norway’s cooperation with Brazil is performance-based. All Norwegian funds are rewards for the deforestation to diminish,” Elvestuen maintains.

Elvestuen emphasises that Norway will continue to give money to the Amazon Fund, as long as Brazil continues to reduce climate gas emissions.

The Brazilian Minister of the Environment further states that he has been in contact with the Norwegian and German embassies regarding that the management of the Amazon Fund must be changed.

The Norwegian embassy, on the other hand, states that they are satisfied with how the fund is managed.

“We have not received any proposal from the Brazilian authorities to change the management structure or how the fund allocates,” the embassy writes in a statement dated May 17th.

Read also: The Guardian: Jair Bolsonaro launches assault on Amazon rainforest protections


© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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