Founder of the World BioEconomy Forum, Jukka Kantola, recently returned from a visit to Belém and São Paulo, Brazil. Preparations have been progressing well and the State of Pará and its capital Belém is ready to host the Forum 2021, 18 – 20 October. The event will highlight the importance of the circular bioeconomy in the fight against climate change.
Kantola commented on his visit to Belém to view the facilities and meet the organising team: “It was a great visit to Brazil last week. I enjoyed every moment, and I am very pleased to see that Belém is ready to host the Forum 2021. I made the journey from Finland to Brazil and back without any problems at all.”
“We just need to start living again – people are made to see each other. If you can be disciplined at home, you can be disciplined wherever you are in the world – respecting authorities’ instructions and taking care of personal protection, for instance wearing masks and keeping social distance. Belém is not only the gateway to the Amazon, but during the Forum it will be the gateway to the circular bioeconomy.”
Organization of the event is well under way, with the pandemic in the region well under control, according to the Pará State health authorities. The Forum is expecting a good number of international speakers and delegates at the event, as well as a wide representation of circular bioeconomy stakeholders from Brazil and the rest of Latin America.
“We are committed and delighted to be hosting the World BioEconomy Forum in the capital of our state,” says José Mauro de Lima O’ de Almeida, Estate Secretary of Environment and Sustainability.
“But it is important to highlight the bioeconomy that we want, because bioeconomy is not a closed concept. In Brazil, bioeconomy is discussed a lot as if it were the use of natural resources for applications such as ethanol. However, we want to talk more broadly at this Forum. We intend to shed light on the bioeconomy of the forest, of forest products and of our vocations linked to the forest, such as the fruits, roots, stems and trees that are used for forest restoration. By encouraging these forest products, which we already cultivate, increasing production capacity, also with the incorporation of technology, we understand that we have changed the key to Pará’s economy based on the bioeconomy.”
“There is no doubt that the bioeconomy in Brazil and throughout Latin America will be seen in a completely different light after this event in Belém,” emphasizes the state secretary.
To coincide with the event, the Pará State has launched Bioeconomy Week, which will take place a week before the Forum and will feature side events and educational platforms relating to the circular bioeconomy in the region. The state has also launched a specially designed World BioEconomy Forum logo for the 2021 event, emphasizing local elements of its bioeconomy.