Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The article analyses with the use neoliberal theory of international relations the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) activities in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of this study is to show the interaction between the member-states within the framework of ACTO in matters of socio-economic and environmental problems in the Amazon Basin. The Sustainable Development Strategy has received support in Latin American region, where one can see a growing awareness that efficient response to new challenges requires increased action not only at the national, but also at the regional and global levels. Though the situation in a range of integration associations in Latin America impedes regional cooperation in the implementation of common programs aimed at promoting sustainable development, the ACTO activities become increasingly important in achieving the SDGs in one of the most vulnerable areas in the world – the Amazonia. This article covers for the first time the achievements of ACTO in the process of implementing the SDGs, interaction between countries in terms of ensuring multidimensional security in the Amazon Basin. At the same time it specifies areas where they need to make additional efforts. As a result of the study, we come to the following conclusions: 1) the problems of sustainable development specific to the Amazonian area have a cross-border and complex nature, which requires a joint policy of the Amazonian countries to solve them; 2) the mechanism of interaction between South American countries in the ACTO format is an important component in tackling socio-economic and environmental challenges in the Amazonian area; 3) thanks to the cooperation of ACTO with both governmental and non-governmental institutions and with extra-regional countries, joint projects are being implemented to address problems in the Amazonian area; 4) ACTO is an example of a supranational organization that contributes to the achievement of the SDGs, which has a positive impact on the process of achieving the SDGs by 2030 on a global scale.