This Thursday (14), the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic and the Ministry of Cities jointly launched a new modality of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), focusing on the disposal of solid waste. US$120 million will be allocated to 81 projects, which will benefit 460 municipalities. The details were presented during the G20 Social program in Rio de Janeiro.
The PAC is an investment program coordinated by the federal government, in partnership with the private sector, states, municipalities and social movements, whose objective is to accelerate economic growth and social inclusion, generating employment and income, and reducing social and regional inequalities.
The Minister of Cities, Jader Filho, said that the Solid Waste PAC is another modality of the program that includes the participation of his department. Jader Filho cited other modalities that involve, for example, water supply, disaster prevention, sanitation and renewal of the public transport fleet with more sustainable vehicles, among others.
“It’s an important selection, where we talk about the environment, waste pickers, the circular economy, selective collection. It’s a fundamental topic that has everything to do with the G20 and everything to do with the message that President Lula wants to convey , of responsibility towards the environment”, stated Jader Filho.
According to the minister, both projects presented by city halls and consortiums of city halls were included, as well as those drawn up by waste picker cooperatives, some of which operate in different municipalities.
“We have, on the one hand, the assistance of the collectors, who may have new equipment, new cars, new warehouses, in short, everything that allows us to improve conditions and increase the productivity of this work. And we will also deal with the issue of destination. We need close, even for environmental reasons, the existence of landfills. To this end, we are providing funding to city halls, so that they can find a solution for the final disposal of their waste”, explained the minister.
The secretary general of the Presidency of the Republic, Márcio Macêdo, highlighted the Solid Waste PAC as another initiative to strengthen the collectors’ production chain. He also recalled other measures adopted by his department, such as the recreation of the Pró-Catador Program, which encompasses support actions for workers involved in the collection of reusable and recyclable materials.
“It is a production chain that suffered a huge setback under the previous government. There was a devaluation of startups that acted on it and a minimization of the collectors. They reached a very delicate situation and the majority, in order to survive, entered the Single Registry to receive Bolsa Família and not go hungry. I’m talking about a population of 1 million collectors in Brazil”, he said.
Macêdo highlighted that, at the beginning of this year, President Lula announced a package of R$425 million in investments for waste pickers. “We have hiring processes, but resources are already arriving in the production chain.” He added that, by the end of the year, other contracts will be completed and that there are initiatives that have the support of partners such as Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, Petrobras and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).
Brazilian innovation
The G20 Social, which began this Wednesday (14) and runs until Saturday (16), is an innovation instituted by the Brazilian government. The country presides over the G20 for the first time since 2008, when the current format of the group was implemented, comprising the 19 largest economies in the world, as well as the European Union and more recently the African Union.
In previous presidencies, civil society used to come together in initiatives parallel to the official program. With the G20 Social, such meetings were integrated into the agenda created by Brazil. The objective is to expand dialogue between government leaders and civil society.
Much of the three-day program is made up of self-organized activities proposed by different social organizations. It is also planned, at the end of the event, to present a summary document of the G20 Social, which should later be delivered to the governments of all nations at the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The summit meeting, scheduled for the 18th and 19th of this month, will end the Brazilian presidency of the G20. South Africa will succeed Brazil as president of the group.
Márcio Macêdo gave a positive assessment of the first day of the event. According to the secretary general of the Presidency of the Republic, 33 thousand people withdrew their credentials. “It is an extremely representative participation of organized social movements throughout Brazil and other G20 countries.” he stated.
