Held at the Congress of the Republic of Colombia in Bogotá, the meeting continued discussions on the institutionalization of PARLAMAZ within the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty. On that occasion, the ACTO Secretary-General informed participants that efforts were underway to establish a working group to initiate negotiations on an Additional Protocol to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty.
The Assembly discussed the need to closely monitor this institutionalization agenda, and the Colombian delegation proposed that Brazil, through Senator Nelsinho Trad, continue to hold the Presidency of PARLAMAZ until this agenda had been concluded, considering that, as a Brazilian Senator, he would be able to closely follow ACTO’s activities related to the matter in Brasília. The Assembly also recognized the need for a thorough review of the Rules of Procedure, which appeared to be outdated, as parliamentarians observed that PARLAMAZ functions much more as an interparliamentary cooperation group than as a traditional international parliament. During the session, Representative Yenica Acosta was elected as PARLAMAZ Vice-President representing Colombia, and the “Declaration on the International Day of the Amazon: September 5”, proposed by the Bolivian Delegation, was approved for subsequent submission to the United Nations System.
