Objective

The European Working Group on Amazonia (EWGA) is established in 1989 in response to requests from concerned individuals working in the Amazon region to increase support from Europe for their efforts, especially in the fields of protecting the ecology, the indigenous communities and human rights. The Working Group has not been active since 2001.

The seat of EWGA was located at the Environment & Development Resource Centre (EDRC) in Brussels because of EDRC's focus on relations between the European Union with developing countries.

The chairmanship of EWGA was performed by the Netherlands National Committee for IUCN - World Conservation Union. Close links were maintained with the IUCN organisations and offices in the Amazon region and with IUCN headquarters in Switzerland.

Its special focus was on the dialogue with the European institutions and the private sector in Europe on matters relevant for Amazonia. In principle, the "cues" for the dialogue came from EWGA's contacts in the Amazon regio, when they observed developments or events in which European actors were, or should be, involved. This prompted EWGA, especially the coordination in Brussels and the chairmanship, to approach their contacts in Europe.

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