Reflecting on Pan-Amazon community of practice and learning

As Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) looks to the future, stakeholders evaluate the experiences and takeaways from the three-year project

After three years of strengthening and implementing a polycentric network of key stakeholders from grassroots organizations, academia, NGOs, and government across the Amazon, the GIA project culminated in a three-day workshop to share its findings about improving infrastructure governance.

Fifty participants joined the workshop via Zoom, from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and the U.S. GIA identified the following strategies as key opportunities for improving infrastructure governance: (1) continue dissemination of knowledge products already produced but not widely accessible, (2) expand use of new and innovative communication strategies for political impact, (3) strategically engage with broader audiences, such as churches, legislatures, government agencies, the private sector, and investors, and (4) deepen application of legal and judicial tools, including free, prior, and informed consent protocols.

Planning for a continuation of GIA is underway. Key elements that will guide future work are focused analysis of measurable results, action-oriented strategies combining knowledge, communications, and collaboration, an integrated network within and across regions, and student engagement at UF and Amazonian universities alike.