Fundo Vale was present at two events held in Belém, Pará, which celebrated the cultural diversity and traditions of the region and hosted important discussions of new economic possibilities, sustainable development and forest protection: the Vale Amazon Festival and the Amazon and New Economies International Conference.
The conference, held between August 30 and September 1, was organized by the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM), a nonprofit organization that represents more than 130 companies and institutions that operate in the mining sector and have made a commitment to protect the Amazon, and it was sponsored by Vale. The event aimed to promote and strengthen solutions that reconcile economic development, the reduction of inequalities and the conservation of forests and social and biological diversity.
The event featured presentations, debates and business exhibitions, involving public officials, experts, investors, organizations and leaders working in this area in the Amazon.
Gustavo Luz, the executive director of Fundo Vale, took part in a panel discussion on “Investment and Nature Markets for the New Economies,” which debated investment channels and agendas for the new economies in the Amazon. The topics covered included the mobilization of resources amounting to billions of dollars and financial instruments suitable for nature markets, including cases of blended finance and the role of philanthropic capital.
Vale executives also took part in the event and presented some of Fundo Vale’s initiatives to support the impact ecosystem in the Amazon. Eduardo Bartolomeo, Vale’s CEO, took part in the opening panel, called “What the Amazon Offers and What the World Needs.”
Maria Luiza Paiva, Vale’s executive vice president for sustainability, was part of a panel called “A New Relationship with Nature and People,” which discussed how new economies relate to people’s quality of life, the fight against poverty and the preservation of biodiversity in the form of new production arrangements.
Alexandre D’Ambrosio, Vale’s executive vice president for corporate and institutional affairs, participated in a panel titled “Reconciling Present and Future: Transition Is a Sum and Not a Replacement,” on the last day of the event. This debate focused on new economies and how they should add to more traditional activities and models and not necessarily replace them, generating opportunities for collaboration and mutual growth.
Hugo Barreto, the CEO of the Vale Cultural Institute and Vale’s director for climate, nature and cultural investment, took part in a panel called “Protected Areas, New Economies and Large Enterprises,” which debated different types of protected areas and their specific features, coexistence between industry and social and biological diversity chains, and different ways in which protected areas can be used economically.
Culture and bioeconomy
Fundo Vale was also present at the Vale Amazon Festival, held by Vale from August 26 to September 2 at Espaço São José Liberto, in Belém, Pará. The objective was to celebrate Amazonian culture and highlight the importance of the forest and its preservation.
The event featured various cultural attractions, talk shows, a sustainable fair, a fashion show, children’s activities, musical performances and lectures, including “The Bioeconomy: Understanding, Working in and Accessing Markets,” moderated by Fundo Vale’s director of operations, Patrícia Daros, and involving Valmir Ortega, the founder of Belterra, a business supported by Vale’s 2030 Forest Goal, as well as Alexandre Aleixo, a researcher at the Vale Institute of Technology (ITV).
This discussion, on a topic of great interest to Fundo Vale, showed how it is possible to connect technology and scientific research with the bioeconomy in order to boost access to markets.
In addition, a sustainable fair was set up on site, exhibiting products from the Amazon and showcasing ventures supported by Fundo Vale, Vale or the Vale Foundation, including the Peabiru Institute, Da Tribu and the Amazon Entrepreneurship Center.
The schedule, designed to highlight the art, culture, cuisine and especially the people of the Amazon, also included storytelling and recreational activities for children, musical performances by Fafá de Belém, the Carimbó Trilhas da Amazônia group, Felix Robatto, Vale Music, Arthur Espíndola and Pinduca, a Sustainable Amazon Fashion Show and cooking classes by chefs Katia Barbosa and Thiago Castanho.