On October 28, at the Hotel de la Ópera in Bogotá, the Ad Hoc Commission for the Protection of the Amazon was officially established. This body of the House of Representatives seeks to strengthen legislative action, monitor public policies, and foster coordination among different sectors to address the region’s environmental and social challenges.
The meeting brought together members of Congress, representatives of international cooperation agencies, indigenous organizations, scientific institutes, universities, and civil society organizations committed to the conservation of the Amazon biome.
“When we talk about protecting the Amazon, we are talking about protecting our water sources, forests, species, and cultures, as well as the environmental conditions that make life possible. Precisely because of this strategic importance, Colombia needs to strengthen its institutional efforts to ensure the Amazon’s conservation and promote sustainable development that also benefits the communities living there,” said Representative Miguel Ángel Rubio, coordinator of the Ad Hoc Commission.
For his part, Representative John Fredi Valencia, also a coordinator of the commission, emphasized that protecting the Amazon is a shared responsibility. “The Colombian Amazon faces very serious problems. Protecting it is not only the responsibility of the representatives and senators from the departments that are part of it, but of the entire country.”
IRI-Colombia: From Dialogue Between Science and Local Communities to Legislative Action
The establishment of the Commission marks the culmination of a process to which the Interreligious Initiative for Tropical Forests has dedicated its commitment and hard work.
The idea for the Commission took shape during the Amazon Scientific Immersion Day, which IRI-Colombia held last June with the goal of bringing newly elected members of Congress closer to the realities on the ground and the challenges facing the region. “Seeing this initiative become an official body of the House of Representatives today is a source of satisfaction and gratitude,” emphasized Blanca Lucía Echeverry, director of IRI-Colombia.
The Initiative’s role has been to promote dialogue among sectors with different capacities and responsibilities, facilitate opportunities for engagement, and bring decision-makers closer to the realities of Amazonian communities. This work builds on its on-the-ground experience, with a network of local chapters that connects religious, social, and community leaders in municipalities affected by deforestation.
The establishment of the Ad Hoc Commission for the Protection of the Amazon therefore represents a step forward in the search for institutional mechanisms that will translate this dialogue into concrete actions.
As Blanca Lucía Echeverry noted, IRI-Colombia will continue to contribute its expertise in training, convening, and building relationships with communities, organizations, and experts, while respecting the autonomy of Congress and the responsibilities of its members.
Inauguration of the Ad Hoc Commission for the Protection of the Amazon on October 28 in Bogotá.
Eight Functions to Strengthen the Protection of the Amazon
Established by Resolution 0643 of 2026 and composed of 15 representatives to the House, the Ad Hoc Commission for the Protection of the Amazon has eight functions that will guide its work. These functions aim to translate concerns about the future of the Amazon into legislative initiatives, institutional oversight, local engagement, and proposals that contribute to the conservation of ecosystems and the well-being of communities.
“This Commission is very important. Through it, you (the House representatives) can turn knowledge into policies and ambitions into results through legislation, by following up on the decisions that are made and listening to indigenous peoples, researchers, local communities, civil society, and, of course, those who live in the Amazon,” said Gunhild Oland, Climate and Forest Advisor at the Norwegian Embassy.
Specifically, among the Commission’s responsibilities is promoting a legislative agenda for the Amazon that advances initiatives related to environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, community rights, and sustainable development. It will also be responsible for monitoring and exercising political oversight of public policies, programs, projects, and resources allocated to the region, with the aim of evaluating their outcomes.
Another of its core tasks will be to facilitate coordination and dialogue among Congress, the national government, territorial authorities, indigenous peoples, rural and Afro-descendant communities, social organizations, and other stakeholders committed to the Amazon. To this end, it will be able to organize public hearings, decentralized sessions, and forums for citizen participation that allow the voices and needs of local communities to be incorporated into national decisions.
The Commission will also seek to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and international cooperation, develop recommendations and technical documents to guide institutional decisions, and draft a bill to create a legal commission for the Amazon. This last objective aims to ensure that the region’s protection has a permanent forum in Congress, capable of providing continuity to legislative work and political oversight beyond individual terms of office.
Finally, among its functions is the establishment of a scientific and social advisory council that brings together expertise from universities, research centers, indigenous peoples, rural and Afro-descendant communities, territorial authorities, social organizations, churches, and faith-based communities. The intention is for decisions related to the Amazon to be informed by both scientific research and the ancestral knowledge and experience of those who inhabit the territory.
“I want to make a very special appeal to the representatives, because we must protect the Amazon, its forests, and its mountains—but also the people who live there. I hope that every vote you cast is made with the Amazon in mind. Because caring for it requires, above all, consistency,” emphasized Senator Sandra Chindoy Jamioy, an ally of the Commission and one of the lawmakers who will lead the bill to create the Legal Commission for the Protection of the Amazon.
