00:00 Now, we will give the word to President Luis Arce.
00:09 Thank you very much.
00:11 To my brother and partner, Lula, I would like to salute all heads of state who are chairing
00:24 this space here with us.
00:49 I would like to salute as well our organizations in the name of the Bolivian people.
00:57 Firstly, I would like to thank President Lula for having the initiative of creating this
01:04 summit.
01:10 I would also like to thank the people of Belen for such a warm welcoming.
01:32 Right now, the Mother Earth is facing the biggest crisis.
01:44 We never have dealt with a situation like the one we are facing right now.
01:54 The Amazon is facing an environmental crisis, which is endangering the existence of humankind
02:06 and animals as well.
02:13 We have seen that the exploitation of this area, especially by international enterprises,
02:26 have seriously affected the well-being of the forest and the well-being of the people.
02:35 Because forests are one of the main sources of resources for both the people and the economy.
02:54 Some countries have taken advantage of this only to enrich themselves.
03:15 Others said that capitalism arrived to the world through blood and violence.
03:31 We can affirm that this kind of acting is still affecting especially Latin American
03:43 countries right now.
03:56 The Amazon is dealing right now with an economic model that only cares about monetary funds
04:07 and the expansions of industrial companies not taking into
04:17 account the well-being of the forest and the people.
04:33 The effect that those enterprises had on the Amazonas and the people living there has resulted
04:44 in having lots of animals and plants in danger and also are limiting the resources of the
04:55 people who live there.
05:04 We have the responsibility of dealing with this problem and find a solution for it.
05:17 The only way that we can achieve this goal is through cooperation and the uniting of
05:25 forces.
05:31 The Amazonas' size of producing oxygen has the main function of alleviating the effects
05:47 of climate change and global warming.
05:59 We are seeing these problems with a new vision right now with the main goal of preserving
06:07 the forest and the whole area, taking into account and listening to the voices of indigenous
06:13 people.
06:25 When the industrial world started to explode the Amazonas, the first ones to see the effects
06:32 of these actions were the indigenous people.
06:45 Bolivia shares a considerable space of the Amazonas.
07:02 Right now the Amazonas is facing all sorts of problems.
07:10 There are endangering the benefits that it provides to the world, taking into account
07:18 the Amazonas are the lungs of the world.
07:33 Deforestation for agriculture has destroyed millions of hectares in the forest.
07:48 It not only affects the forest but also the global climate.
08:02 Climate crisis is another challenge that we need to overcome, a challenge that affects
08:09 directly the Amazonas.
08:20 The Amazonas is facing a new set of problems.
08:29 They are severely affecting the area, especially by fires in the forest.
08:54 The fact that the Amazonas is within the territory of the countries gathered here today doesn't
09:02 mean that we are the only ones who have the responsibility of taking care of it.
09:11 Those industrialized countries, which are the ones who have caused most of the damage
09:19 the Amazon is suffering right now, need also to take responsibility right now with this
09:28 preservation initiative.
09:40 The destruction of natural resources also represents an important challenge regarding
09:46 the Amazonas.
09:49 It is important to highlight our commitment to the principles of equality and justice
10:13 regarding this matter.
10:23 The pollution of the water and degradation of the soils is an important matter that we
10:26 need to take into account.
10:29 It is also important to highlight the fact that the Amazonas is home for thousands of
10:38 indigenous people who live only with what Mother Earth provides for them.
10:49 These people throughout the years have experienced all sorts of problems in their communities,
11:01 especially by those industries who are trying to deplace them in order to take advantage
11:07 of the resources there.
11:13 So we need to preserve those resources, taking into account the voices and the thoughts and
11:20 the concerns of indigenous people.
11:34 The Amazon is an important natural area, which has thousands of kilometers of rivers, different
11:45 rivers being the main one, the Amazons, which is highly important for indigenous people,
11:53 but also to transportation throughout the area.
12:03 The Amazon is essential to the hydric cycle of the Earth.
12:22 And the main illegal activities that take place in this area, we have illegal mining,
12:43 the Amazon also has mineral resources that we need to protect, especially in Latin American
13:08 countries.
13:09 This means that protecting this area is not only a task for government, but also to military
13:19 forces in each country.
13:31 This being said, it's important to take into account that European countries are taking
13:35 the same vision that we have, but in the opposite direction.
13:48 This is why I would like to say words of the American minister that said that "Amazon
14:03 has lots of resources to offer, but those resources that Amazon has are not for international
14:19 companies to explode.
14:21 Those resources belong to the indigenous people.
14:28 We cannot allow foreign countries to put in danger our resources and our forests.
14:42 Therefore, we reject any kind of intervention of international enterprises or foreign countries
14:53 in the Amazonas, which will endanger and affect severely the well-being of the Amazonas.
15:14 That's why we need to implement efficient multilateralism that will provide for all
15:22 these countries and the people who live in this Amazonic area.
15:34 Bolivia has the commitment to work and cooperate with the rest of the countries which share
15:46 space in the Amazonic area.
15:55 We pretend through dialogue and cooperation be able to address the problem that the Amazon
16:02 is facing.
16:18 I would also like to highlight the important role that the OCCA played during the negotiation
16:32 with all the Amazonic countries in international summits.
16:48 We hope that the OCCA continues with the hard work in order to protect the Amazonas, taking
16:55 into account that the situation is getting worse.
17:03 The environmental crisis we are facing right now is nothing but the result of the greed
17:09 and the constant need for economical growth of the countries in the world.
17:22 Bolivia roots for and implementations of programs and measures that with the efforts of the
17:42 OCCA are able to achieve our main goal.
18:05 We need to analyze honestly and critically the way we exploit the Amazonas.
18:32 We are sure that these measures and other measures that will come are necessary to protect
18:39 and preserve the Amazonas with the main goal of achieving equality in the area and protecting
18:49 the environment.
18:52 Therefore, from Bolivia we have set seven measures to be able to improve technologies
19:04 and at the same time protect the area, preserving the well-being of the forests and the rivers
19:17 and the indigenous people, create programs based on the real needs of the people who
19:28 live in the area.
19:45 We need to establish national politics that need to evolve to international policies that
19:57 are directly committed to our main goal.
20:00 We need also to reject any foreign intervention in the Amazonas.
20:12 We need to implement the fight against criminal organizations, terrorism, and any form of
20:21 violence against our people and our forests.
20:31 The Amazonas is an invaluable area, an invaluable source that we need to protect and preserve.
20:38 It is our responsibility to protect it.
20:48 That responsibility involves governments, organizations, and citizens to be able to
20:57 preserve the Amazonas for the present generations and the future generations.
21:08 That is why our commitment to the protection of the Amazonas needs to be stronger than
21:14 ever.
21:19 We would not hesitate to take all the necessary measures for protecting our Mother Earth.
21:29 Thank you very much.
21:30 (Applause.)
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