Martin von Hildebrand, Christiane Laibach and Cristina Costa announced the program between OTCA, KfW and IICA at COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil.
Belém, November 17, 2025 – The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), the KfW Development Bank on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) today signed the Financing and Implementation Agreement for the Regional Program for Integrated Fire Management in the Amazon Forest (IFM). The signing took place at the ACTO-CAF Pavilion during COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
With a total investment of 18.7 million euros and an expected duration of three and a half years (2026–2029), the program aims to strengthen the capacities of ACTO’s eight Member Countries — Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela — to prevent, respond to, and recover from forest fires in both national and cross-border areas.
A milestone for regional cooperation
During the ceremony, ACTO Secretary General Martín von Hildebrand thanked for the collaboration and emphasized that “this is a fundamental effort”. The Secretary-General also mentioned that ‘the issue of fires is global and not a problem exclusive to the Amazon”.
Christiane Laibach, Member of the Executive Board of KfW, emphasized that “this is a very important project because the issue of fire is not a problem limited to the Amazon; it occurs in various regions, including in Europe. It is a matter that knows no borders”. She also said that this cooperation is a benefit for all countries. “We are very pleased to participate and look forward to the project being implemented. Thank you for this relationship of trust”, Laibach finalized.
“The project will contribute to a greater integration and mobilization of local communities in the eight countries, as they will work in a coordinated manner on integrated fire management,” emphasizes Cristina Costa, technical coordinator of IICA.
Cooperation History
The partnership between ACTO and KfW dates back to 2006, founded on a shared commitment to sustainable development and the protection of the Amazon region. The two institutions recently concluded the Financial Cooperation Project “Improvement of Forest Protection Monitoring Systems”, successfully implemented between 2006 and 2024, representing an investment of 10 million euros.
This record of collaboration demonstrates the trust and strategic alignment between ACTO and KfW/BMZ in the pursuit of regional and cross-border solutions to the environmental and social challenges of the Amazon. In addition to Financial Cooperation, GIZ (the German Agency for International Cooperation) also works with ACTO on several initiatives, reinforcing Germany’s continued commitment to the region.
Strengthening the Amazon Network for Integrated Fire Management (RAMIF)
The program is closely linked to the Amazon Network for Integrated Fire Management (RAMIF), a technical and political mechanism established by ACTO to coordinate policies, strategies, and national capacities for integrated fire management among its Member Countries.
The new IFM Program will directly support the implementation of RAMIF’s Work Plan, strengthening regional cooperation in:
● the exchange of knowledge and good practices on fire prevention and response;
● the interoperability of national monitoring and early warning systems with the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO); an
● joint training and capacity-building activities to enhance regional governance and technical coordination.
Through RAMIF, ACTO fosters a permanent platform for collaboration, enabling its Member Countries to act collectively in preventing and mitigating forest fires while promoting sustainable land management across the Amazon Basin.
The signing took place at the OTCA-CAF pavilion during COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Main components of the IFM Program
The Program is structured around two complementary components:
- Component 1 – Local and Regional Initiatives: Supports projects on prevention, firefighting, and post-fire restoration, selected through public calls open to all ACTO Member Countries, based on technical merit and sustainability criteria.
- Component 2 – Regional Governance: Strengthens the coordination and interoperability of fire monitoring and early warning systems with the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO), while promoting the exchange of experiences and both technical and traditional knowledge.
Synergy with COP30’s Climate Agenda
Held in the Blue Zone of COP30, the event reaffirms the commitment of ACTO and its partners to integrating climate and conservation policies across the Amazon, fostering synergies among governments, financial institutions, the scientific community, and local populations.
The launch of the IFM Program directly contributes to the objectives of the Paris Agreement by reducing emissions from forest fires, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening the resilience of Amazonian communities.
About ACTO
The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is the main intergovernmental entity in the Amazon region, created with the objective of promoting cooperation between its member countries – Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
ACTO operates across several strategic fronts, including biodiversity protection, forest management, science and technology, territorial governance, social inclusion, and the defense of indigenous peoples’ rights. Furthermore, the organization develops environmental monitoring tools and mitigation and adaptation policies for climate change, seeking integrated solutions for the region’s economic development, in addition to consolidating sustainability policies and the protection of Amazonian biodiversity.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
