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Brazilian States Bypass Bolsonaro to Discuss Rainforest Protection Funding
Directly

Reuters

   BRASILIA - Brazilian states containing the country's Amazon rainforest
   said they want to negotiate directly with European nations who fund
   projects to curb deforestation after changes proposed by the federal
   government led Norway and Germany to suspend donations.

   Norway - by far the biggest donor to the Amazon Fund - said last week
   it had suspended its donations after the right-wing government of
   President Jair Bolsonaro changed the fund's governance structure and
   closed down the steering committee that selects the projects to back.
   Germany has also suspended its funding.

   Waldez Góes, governor of Amapá state and president of an organization
   that groups the Amazon states, said in a statement over the weekend
   that the embassies of Norway and Germany had been informed of their
   willingness to negotiate.

   The states of the Amazon region regretted that Bolsonaro's actions had
   led to a suspension of donations, the statement added.

   "Governors of the Amazon bloc want to directly participate in decisions
   to reformulate Amazon Fund rules, which are being established by
   state-run development bank BNDES," Góes said.

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