Articulation of the Government of Pará ensures unprecedented unlocking of legal areas

After intense dialogue from the Government of Pará with local communities, rural unions, political leaders, and the Federal Government, the unlocking of legal lands in federal land areas in Pará has been confirmed. This decision reverses a measure previously taken by the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), which inadvertently included properties in its system.

The Federal Government has already ensured the unlocking of 60% of the area and is expected to complete the review of the process within 10 days to correct overlaps on rural properties, settlements, and urban areas. Governor Helder Barbalho emphasized that this action is essential to ensure "the right to property for those who are consolidated with land possession."

The information was disclosed during a videoconference this Wednesday (14), between the governor and the minister of the Federal Government's Secretariat for Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann.

Minister Gleisi Hoffmann explained that meetings were held with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Funai, and an error in the system was identified. “The system that places areas of interest to Funai, instead of only placing the areas of focus, ended up registering the entire plot, which is why we had that problem you brought to us, and you were absolutely right,” she explained.

The blocks would prevent rural producers from accessing financing, environmental licensing, and land regularization. With the decision, articulated by the Government of Pará, the rights of these producers are assured. Last week, the governor, the president of the State Legislative Assembly (Alepa), and other Pará leaders discussed the issue of the blocking of legal lands with Minister Gleisi and the presidents of the Chamber and the Senate.

Unprecedented decision - “It is the first time that a review of a decision made by Funai is happening so that a decision can be constructed with common sense and dialogue, with guaranteed rights,” emphasized Helder Barbalho. "Wherever there is proven indigenous land with anthropological study, the indigenous policy is respected, and where there is land that has an owner, cities, urban areas, we can have balance, ensuring the harmonization of all involved in this agenda," he added.

According to Hoffmann, the team was able to identify and correct these problems, reducing the areas covered by the system by 60%. "By the 24th, we will finish the rest. The system now has the marked areas, which are small areas of interest to Funai," she detailed.

The conflict of interest between the blocking of indigenous lands and rural possession was a central concern in the dialogue between the governments. Gleisi Hoffmann stated that issues related to properties and the impact these decisions have on communities and cities have been practically resolved. "The problem that involved the city, that involved the property, they are practically all resolved, governor," she concluded.

Working Group - Another new development discussed during the videoconference was the creation of a Working Group, which will include representatives from the Government of Pará, responding to a request from the State to participate with Pará representatives in the commission that discusses and deliberates on the declaration of interest in areas belonging to the state territory.

The proactive action of the Pará government stands out in this process, highlighting its commitment to resolving pending issues related to the interpretation and application of land policies. "Therefore, a solution was given based on the dialogue built with the Federal Government," reiterated Helder Barbalho.