2023-07-19 19:20:09
In a note, the Itamaraty informed that the request was made by the Canadian government; more than 100 specialists were summoned and should remain in the country for a period of one month
OLIVIER PILON / SOCIETE DE PROTECTION DES FORETS / AFP Image released by the Societe De Protection Des Forets (SOPFEU) on July 18, 2023, shows smoke from a forest fire clouding the sky in the northern part of the province of Quebec, Canada
Brazil is going on a humanitarian mission to Canada to help fight the forest fires that have devastated the country since March, and intensified in June. According to Itamaraty, the request for support came from the Canadian government. “President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ordered the sending of a Brazilian humanitarian mission to Canada with a view to supporting the fight against forest fires that have hit that country since March 2023 and have intensified since last June,” says the note. Of the active fires in the country, a total of 885, 600 are out of control, according to official data. At least two firefighters have died battling the flames. In all, 104 specialists from different government agencies will be sent to Canada. “The Brazilian mission should operate in the most affected forests in Canada and remain in that country for a period of one month”, informed the Itamaraty, adding that the mission will be coordinated by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Transport and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed by the Canadian government, according to details in the statement from the chancellery. So far this year, Canada has suffered more than 4,200 fires, which have burned a record 109,000 square kilometers of forest, an area similar to the land mass of New Zealand or Gabon.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that professionals from the following bodies will participate in the mission: Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBIO), both from the Ministry of Environment and Change of the Climate (MMA); National Secretariat for Protection and Civil Defense of the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR); National Public Security Force (FNSP), from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP); and the military fire brigades of the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia , Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Tocantins, and the Federal District. The Ministries of Defence, Transport and Finance cooperate with the organization of the mission, in addition to the National Council of Military Fire Brigades of Brazil (LIGABOM) and other federal and state departments.
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