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Background

MULTILATERAL PROJECT LAUNCHED IN SURINAME

A project entitled “Sustainable Development and Biocultural Conservation in the Brazil-Suriname Border Region” was officially launched at a media briefing at the Office of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OGS/OAS) in Suriname, on Monday 26th January, 2004, at 10.30 a.m. The project, which is multinational in nature, will have duration of three years and its activities will take place jointly and simultaneously in the border region.

The general objective of the project is to collaborate with the indigenous peoples of the Brazil-Suriname border region, Trio and Wayana in Suriname, Tiriyo/Katxuyana and Wayana/Apalai in Brazil, thereby contributing to the conservation of the culture and the sustainable development of the natural resources of the indigenous peoples by improving forest management, building local capacity, and, where appropriate, the healthcare and security of the indigenous communities of the border region.

Among the expected outputs are: promotion and integration of traditional medicine and improvement of healthcare in border communities; well-designed monitoring and protection plans in indigenous areas; local institutions trained in specific skills for land management and land-use monitoring; increased level of participation of the indigenous population in regional/national conservation strategies; updated maps of protected areas and indigenous communities; development of conservation activities related to the carbon/credit market; and the development of a proposal for submission to the Global Environmental Fund to develop a strategy and activities for the conservation of biodiversity in the region.

The project is financed from the Permanent Multilateral Fund of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (FEMCIDI) of the OAS, through the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD), and is one of the projects submitted by Suriname, which has been approved for financing by the Agency in the current cycle. It is a collaborative effort by the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), the principal executing agency for the project with over two decades of experience in the region, the Sustainable Development and Environment Unit of the OAS, and the Governments of Suriname and Brazil.

At the launching, presentations were made by Ambassador Kingsley Layne, Director of the OGS/OAS, H.E. Ricardo Luiz Viana de Carvalho, Ambassador of Brazil in Suriname, H.E. Henk Illes, Permanent Representative of Suriname to the OAS, Mr. Samoe Schelts of the Ministry of Regional Development, and Messrs. Mark Plotkin and Neville Gunther of ACT.

Paramaribo, January 26, 2004

Reference: SU-012604