The World BioEconomy Forum is pleased to announce that its Forum 2021 will be held in Belém, in the State of Pará, Brazil from 18 – 20 October 2021. Belém is located in the Amazon region of Brazil and will give the Forum the opportunity to highlight the region as of fundamental importance to the global circular bioeconomy. The event will bring together high-level speakers and experts from around the world highlighting Belém and the Amazon region for essential debate on sustainable development.
This is the first time that the World BioEconomy Forum has left its usual location in Ruka, Finland. The Forum’s advisory board is clearly aware that there is no bioeconomy that fits all, but several bioeconomies built to operate within their own regional economic systems. Therefore, the decision was made to move the Forum periodically to various locations around the world, and particularly in regions where the bioeconomy is at the centre of attention. Belém, in the state of Pará, in Brazil, is a perfect example of this.
Founder and President of the Forum, Jukka Kantola, says: “The World BioEconomy Forum has solidified its position as a major annual event for the circular bioeconomy. The Last Forum in 2020 proved to be a major success attracting participants from more than 50 countries around the world. The forum 2021 will be another step in our evolution as the World BioEconomy Forum goes to Brazil – live from Belém! Belém in Brazil will be a fascinating place for the Forum to be held, and it will be our great pleasure to share their narrative to the world at the same time as bringing global stakeholders of the circular bioeconomy to Brazil.”
The Forum will be co-hosted by the state of Pará.
Helder Barbalho, Governor of the State of Pará, says, “The World BioEconomy Forum will be held in the Pará State at a crucial time in our development as our efforts concentrate on the search for an economy based on biodiversity, with opportunities for all – especially the most needy. The Government of Pará has made a commitment to sustainable development since the beginning of its administration, when it has based its planning on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on a macro-strategy that prioritises from local realities to the commitment to the life of each citizen of our country.”
“The axis of economic action prioritises solutions that enable development with the standing forest. An example of this is the Amazon Now Plan, which has among its goals to reach the level of zero net emissions. To this end, the plan has four lines of action that range from the repression of environmental crimes and support for production chains, to land and environmental regularisation.”
The Forum will be held with the support of Brazil’s leading agricultural and forestry associations with the bioeconomy at their heart, ABAG and Ibá.
Marcello Brito, President of ABAG’s Board of Directors, says, “This is a great privilege for Brazil to receive the World BioEconomy Forum. Much larger than we think, the Amazon biome covers almost half of the country, and has 22 types of different forest formations including non-forest and mixed vegetation. A huge area has already been anthropized. The time to discuss the bioeconomy in the region is very opportune, as there are a number of industries already successfully operating in the forest bioeconomy, including agro, food processing and cosmetics. We are absolutely sure that the event will be a success.”
Paulo Hartung, President of Ibá (Brazilian Tree Industry), says, “The bioeconomy and the vision of sustainability guide production models that use natural resources consciously, so that they can provide clean energy sources, mitigate the effects of climate change, provide quality food and other renewable products, among other essential needs. The holding in Brazil of the World Bioeconomy Forum, with the support of Ibá, demonstrates the commitment and potential for the national cultivated tree sector and for Brazil of the green economy, showing that we are attentive to the new mentality of a conscious and concerned consumer with sustainability, with the sanity of what you consume and with your own health. In a word: concerned with the future of the world.”
Planning of the forum is well under way and it will follow the agenda of the World BioEconomy Forum. The agenda consists of four thematic areas, which will be covered during the event:
- The Bioeconomy: People, Planet Policies
- Global Leaders and the Financial World
- Bioproducts around us
- Looking to the Future
Each Forum is concluded with a joint declaration.
To find out how to attend the World BioEconomy Forum, visit www.wcbef.com.
RELATED NEWS
