Volunteers for the Amazon

Forests are essential for life on our planet. They ensure a reliable supply of freshwater, serve as unique reservoirs of biodiversity, and provide income and livelihoods for many populations. Today, forests are under increasing pressure from the combined impacts of climate change and human activities: pollution, intensive exploitation, deforestation… 

The Amazon, the world’s largest forest basin, is particularly vulnerable. Numerous actors, both public and from civil society, are working daily to respond to local needs, often with limited capacity for action. 

Foreword 

The Volunteers for the Amazon (V-AMZ) program aims to support initiatives and projects led by civil society actors for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. The program is led by France Volontaires with the support of the Delegation for Civil Society, Citizen Engagement and Youth (DGT/CIV). 

Running over 30 months, the program will: (i) mobilize at least 50 volunteers to support high-impact initiatives in the Amazon basin countries; (ii) strengthen the capacities and networking of 100 organizations working to preserve the Amazon forest. 

The program will contribute to the objectives set by the Presidential Council for Development in May 2023, and further elaborated during the CICID in July 2023, regarding biodiversity preservation and the development of international solidarity volunteering. 

Program Context 

The preservation of primary tropical forests is a priority of France’s international development policy. 

• This commitment was strongly affirmed by the President of the Republic during the One Forest Summit held in Libreville on March 1–2, 2023. 
• Forest preservation was placed at the heart of the thematic priorities of the Presidential Council for Development on May 5, 2023, and within the strategic guidelines of the CICID in July 2023. 
• At the summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in Belém (Brazil) in August 2023, the President reaffirmed France’s commitment to the fight for the preservation of primary tropical forests. 
• During his state visit to Brazil in March 2024, Presidents Macron and Lula announced the creation of a green investment fund for the Amazon. 

Empowering young people as key actors at the heart of both challenges and solutions is also a priority set by the President of the Republic during the May 5, 2023, Presidential Council for Development, with a goal to significantly increase the number of international solidarity volunteering placements by 2027. International volunteering is a particularly suitable tool, as it both strengthens the capacity of civil society actors and enables young people – and more broadly, citizens – to engage in international solidarity. 

A first program, Volunteers for the Preservation of the Congo Basin Forests, was announced by the Secretary of State following the One Forest Summit in Libreville in March 2023. This program, also funded by the DGT CIV and implemented by France Volontaires, allows the mobilization of 53 volunteers supporting projects led by 25 organizations in 4 countries: Cameroon, Congo, DRC, and Gabon. 

The Volunteers for the Amazon Program 

The Volunteers for the Amazon program thus strengthens the contribution of French volunteering to the challenge of preserving primary forests by supporting actors in Amazon basin countries. Scheduled for a 30-month duration, the program is implemented by France Volontaires with financial support from the DGT CIV. 

It targets the ACTO member countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The choice of countries involved will be based on consultation with diplomatic posts and an assessment of the actual feasibility of volunteer deployment, considering security conditions. 

Axis 1 · Mobilizing Volunteers 

The objective is to mobilize at least 50 volunteers to support projects led by civil society organizations or public actors in the Amazon basin countries. Missions will be carried out under schemes supervised and supported by the MEAE, ranging from a few weeks to 12 months: 

• 35 International Solidarity Volunteer (VSI) missions lasting 12 months. Volunteers may be mobilized in “North-South” or “South-South” flows to promote cooperation among Amazon basin stakeholders. 

• 5 Reciprocal Volunteer (VSI-R) missions in France, lasting 12 months. These international volunteers will be hosted in France by organizations specializing in the program’s themes. 

• 10 Volunteer for Exchange and Expertise (VEC) missions. Short-term, these missions may be carried out by French “solidarity experts” to provide technical and operational support to project leaders. 

Missions will be selected through a call for expressions of interest launched with organizations previously identified in dialogue with local diplomatic posts and cooperation networks in ACTO member countries. The volunteer missions will be hosted by organizations accredited by the MEAE and members of France Volontaires, in partnership with the beneficiary organizations. 

Axis 2 · Strengthening Stakeholder Capacities 

The goal is to establish a framework for capacity building and networking among stakeholders supported by the program. To this end, a VSI coordinated by France Volontaires will be placed in each target country. The volunteer will be responsible for organizing meeting spaces for deployed volunteers and stakeholders, as well as implementing support actions (training, etc.). This component may be reinforced by the involvement of embassies and local operators. 

A seminar will bring together program stakeholders and partners from different countries, creating a space for exchange, showcasing initiatives, and conducting advocacy efforts.