We, parliamentarians from Canada and Amazonian countries, together with Indigenous leaders gathered in Ottawa, recognize the growing urgency of protecting critical ecosystems in the light of the climate crisis.
Across the Americas, communities are already experiencing increasingly severe climate impacts, including wildfires, extreme temperatures, floods, and disruptions to ecosystems and livelihoods, among others. The Amazon, one of the world’s most important biomes for biodiversity, freshwater systems regulation and climate stabilization, faces additional pressures from continued expansion of extractive activities involving many global actors. Protecting this biome therefore represents a crucial opportunity for collective climate action.
Gathered in Ottawa as part of the forum “From the River to Parliament: Amazonian Voices in Ottawa,” organized by Senator Rosa Gálvez, a member of the Parliamentarians for a Fossil-Free Future network, we recognize that the future of the Amazon is not solely a regional question. Its extraordinary importance for Earth’s System and human well-being gives it significance for the planet as a whole and invites us to approach its protection through the lens of a planetary common: an ecosystem whose stability and preservation are of shared global interest.
Its future is also tied to decisions made beyond the region—by both businesses and governments—in the form of investment, financing, business activity, and public policies. Oil and gas exploitation is continuously degrading the Amazon, while science tells us that phasing out these fuels is essential to comply with the Paris Agreement.
For this reason, we believe that cooperation between parliamentarians from Canada and Amazonian countries can make an important contribution to protecting the Amazon while advancing a just, orderly and planned transition away from fossil fuels.
We share the view that regions of exceptional ecological, cultural and climatic importance deserve particular consideration as countries develop their energy transition strategies. In the case of the Amazon, this includes exploring pathways to prevent the expansion of new oil and gas frontiers, with the ambition of making the Amazon the first major region in the world to be protected from new fossil fuel expansion.
Through national legislative processes and regional cooperation, the Amazon could become a pioneering example of how the global commitment to transition away from fossil fuels and comply with the Paris Agreement can be translated into concrete territorial action.
Any such transition must be socially just and grounded in the realities of each country. It should respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, support communities and workers, promote economic diversification, and address existing environmental and social impacts.
We also recognize that the future of the Amazon is influenced not only by decisions made within the region. Companies, investors and financial institutions headquartered in other countries participate in activities throughout the biome. This creates an opportunity for greater dialogue about how corporate practices, investment decisions and financial standards can contribute to biodiversity protection, respect for human rights and a just energy transition. Canada can play a constructive role in this conversation.
Its experience in environmental governance, Indigenous rights, responsible investment and international cooperation can contribute to developing stronger approaches to transparency, due diligence and accountability for companies and financial institutions operating internationally. At the same time, dialogue with parliamentarians and Indigenous leaders from the Amazon can help ensure that those approaches respond to the realities experienced in the territories themselves.
Rather than assigning responsibility to any single country or institution, this Forum seeks to strengthen cooperation among the different actors whose decisions shape the future of the Amazon. It is also a call for international solidarity, recognizing that safeguarding an ecosystem of global importance requires countries, institutions and communities to work across borders in pursuit of a shared interest.
We therefore encourage continued dialogue within the Parliament of Canada on the international activities of Canadian companies and financial institutions, and on how existing and future policies can support high environmental and human-rights standards abroad.
We also encourage governments, financial institutions, investors and companies to consider how investment and cooperation can increasingly support biodiversity conservation, resilient local economies, clean energy, sustainable development, and initiatives led by Indigenous Peoples and Amazonian communities.
The Ottawa Forum builds on legislative work already underway in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, where parliamentarians have introduced proposals addressing hydrocarbon expansion in the Amazon. These initiatives demonstrate the important role that national legislatures can play in translating international climate commitments into domestic debate and policy. We see Ottawa as an opportunity to deepen this exchange.
By connecting parliamentarians from countries where extraction takes place with parliamentarians from countries where companies, investors and financial institutions are based, we can strengthen understanding of our shared responsibilities and identify areas for future legislative cooperation.
Canada and Amazonian countries face three interconnected and equally pressing challenges: limiting global warming, protecting biodiversity, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. This multilateral collaboration represents an important step toward addressing these challenges together, while building a shared agenda that reflects both global responsibilities and the realities of the territories most directly affected.
As a concrete step to carry this cooperation forward, we announce the creation of a Parliamentary Coalition for the Amazon, bringing together legislators committed to advancing measures that help address these interconnected challenges and strengthen the protection of the biome. The Coalition will provide a platform for legislative cooperation, exchange and coordinated action, and will invite parliamentarians from other regions of the world to join this common effort, recognizing that the future of the Amazon is a matter of shared global concern and responsibility.
Protecting the Amazon will require action within Amazonian countries, cooperation from the international community, meaningful participation by Indigenous Peoples, and engagement from the private and financial sectors. Ottawa can help build those bridges and mark the beginning of a broader parliamentary alliance capable of turning solidarity and shared responsibility into concrete action.