Representatives of Development and Integration Council (Codesul), The regional bloc comprised of the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, and Mato Grosso do Sul have formed a partnership to work together against the climate crisis. Memorandum of Understanding It was signed this Saturday, November 12th, in the Meeting Room of Multilevel Action Pavilion (ICLEI LGMA Pavilion, in the Blue Zone of COP27, in Sharm elSheikh, and has the support of ICLEI.

The initiative provides Strengthening cooperation to include the climate variable in the decision-making processes of the bloc's States, through the establishment of an integrated and permanent system of climate information and the sharing of databases and knowledge for innovation and best practices. Among these are the promotion of sustainable standards for agricultural activities; the strengthening of policies and measures to achieve zero illegal deforestation; the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions from the legal suppression of vegetation; the restoration of forests; and the gradual replacement of fossil fuels.

With economies based on agriculture and livestock farming, the four states committed to establishing targets for reforestation and forest restoration; supporting the development of the State Plan for Low-Carbon Agriculture and the implementation of sustainable management systems for native forests; and promoting the implementation of integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems. The initiative also foresees the development of legal instruments that allow for Payment for Environmental Services to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis; the creation of mechanisms to regulate and penalize greenhouse gas emissions; the strengthening of meteorological and climatological research institutions; energy efficiency; and sustainable public procurement.

According to Leonardo Schorcht Bracony Porto Ferreira, Executive Secretary of the Environment of Santa Catarina and one of the signatories of the initiative, the commitment will contribute to strengthening the regional bloc, seeking partnerships and climate and environmental investments, regardless of state borders.

The document was also signed by Gustavo Salvador Pereira, Executive Secretary of Codesul; Micheli Tassiani Petry, Secretary of Codesul; Marjorie Kauffmann, Secretary of Environment and Infrastructure of Rio Grande do Sul; Daniel Vinicius Netto, President of the Environmental Institute of the State of Santa Catarina; Domingos Antonio Velho Lopes, Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of Rio Grande do Sul; Rafael Andreguetto, Director of Environmental Policies of the Secretariat of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Paraná; Andre Borges, President of the Environmental Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul; and Ivonete Coelho Chaves, Director of Licensing and Granting of the Water and Land Institute of Paraná.

About Codesul
The Southern Development and Integration Council (Codesul) was created in 1961 by the three Southern states. Mato Grosso do Sul joined in 1992. The organization aims to find alternatives to regional imbalances, facilitate the exchange of social and political development among member states, and adopt common measures in various areas. One of the structures that emerged from Codesul's cooperation was the Southern Regional Development Bank (BRDE), to promote economic sectors.

Cibele Carneiro