On Wednesday afternoon, the Brazilian Senate will install the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPI) to investigate alleged large-scale financial misconduct by environmental NGOs operating in the Amazon.
This marks the culmination of over four years of work by Senator Plinio Valério.
Senator Plinio Valério affirmed that the CPI’s aim is not to vilify NGOs or oppose the government.
Instead, it seeks to scrutinize “what the astute do with the money they collect in the name of the Amazon.”
The CPI was also demanded by local communities, indigenous people, and representatives of legitimate NGOs, who question how certain entities with vast budgets represent the Amazonian people without their consent.
A critical issue to investigate is the allocation of funds from the Amazon Fund, sustained by international institutions and governments.
The Fund has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and for goals that often deviate from the real interests of the supposed beneficiaries: indigenous communities, riverside residents, and small-scale producers.
Recent studies indicate around 16,000 NGOs are active in the Amazon, with a significant portion working towards the demarcation of indigenous lands in Brazilian territory.
Notably, one of President Lula’s first acts was to overturn the “zero demarcation” policy of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Senator Plinio Valério stated, “The money from the Amazon Fund needs to be invested in the people who live in the forest.”
‘Preservation of vegetation also requires protection and care for those who depend on it.”
The first meeting of the Committee is preparatory, during which the president and vice president of the CPI will be appointed.
As the instigator of the CPI, Senator Plinio Valério is likely to seek the presidency, and if elected, he will also designate the rapporteur.
With information from BSM