South American Common Market Agrees to Establish Joint Task Force for Climate Change Response at COP26

[Photo by Xinhua News Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Four member countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) in South America?Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay?have agreed to establish a climate change working group at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) currently underway in Glasgow, UK, Brazilian media reported on the 11th (local time).

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the move in a statement, saying, "This is the first time Mercosur member countries have joined forces to seek comprehensive and effective solutions to climate change issues," emphasizing that "the four countries share common values and interests within Mercosur, the framework for regional integration."

Brazil, serving as the rotating chair of Mercosur for six months, led the negotiations for the establishment of the working group.

On the previous day, Brazil also established the "Amazon Regional Observatory (ORA)" in its capital, Brasilia, to integrate and manage information related to the biodiversity, natural resources, fauna, forests, and indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.

ORA will serve as a channel for sharing information held by member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA) and for exploring cooperative measures for environmental protection. OTCA is the only environmental organization in the Latin American region, comprising eight South American countries bordering the Amazon rainforest (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela).

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