Helder Barbalho Meets with Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP

Pará Governor Helder Barbalho met with Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on the morning of Friday, September 22, in New York City. The meeting aimed to discuss a technical cooperation agreement designed to strengthen the state’s environmental policies. Among the topics addressed were strategies for COP30 and the development of a jurisdictional system for the carbon credit market in Pará. This system, known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), seeks to position Pará as a leader in this field.

With support from the United Nations, the carbon market in Pará aims to generate high-integrity socio-environmental credits. Still under development, the system involves collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, Quilombola communities, and other Traditional Communities (PIQCTs). The initiative is led by the Secretariat for Environment and Sustainability (Semas), with support from third-sector organizations.

The Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) played a key role in facilitating the meeting, as it has been assisting Pará in the development of environmental policies and programs, particularly the State Plan “Amazon Now” (PEAA).

During the meeting, Helder Barbalho extended an invitation to Inger Andersen to visit Belém and formally sign the agreement. The visit is expected to take place by the end of the year, reinforcing Pará’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

With information from Agência Pará.