Senators accuse NGO linked to minister Marina Silva of inflating expenses

The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) revealed that the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Ipam) had spent more than half of its revenue on salaries. Adding up the expenses with consultancy, travel and partnerships, the amount reaches 80% of the NGO’s expenses. “A lot of money received and no effective results in the Amazon”, stated the president of the CPI, senator Plínio Valério.

Ipam’s financial statement shows that R$35 million was received in 2022 alone, of which R$29 million was spent on salaries, consultancy and travel.

In his testimony to the CPI of NGOs, the executive director of Ipam, André Guimarães, also admitted that 75% of the institute’s resources come from public entities or international foundations and philanthropic entities. “The institute’s average budget is approximately R$23 million over the last 10 years,” said the director.

Ipam director justifies spending on article production

The Institute’s internal expenses were justified by director Guimarães with a view to producing scientific articles. “We have already produced more than 1,200 scientific articles, published in almost all the important journals in the world. It is a library of data about the Amazon, all free to the public around the world. A high-level production, which has already generated public policies, where we address the risks and paths for the region,” Guimarães told CPI.

Ipam claims to have 126 employees, 28 of whom are doctors or doctoral students, 21 master’s or master’s students, 7 postgraduates and 45 graduates, in addition to 25 technicians.

According to the institute’s website, its purpose is to “consolidate, by 2035, the tropical development model of the Amazon and Cerrado, through the production of knowledge, implementation of local initiatives and influence on public policies, in order to impact economic development, social equality and environmental preservation”.

However, CPI senators from NGOs question the effectiveness of Ipam’s actions, especially in the application of resources coming from the Amazon Fund. Data evaluated by the CPI show that the institute used only 11% of the funds received by the Amazon Fund on environmental services. The Ipam Sustainable Settlements Project was implemented between the first quarter of 2012 and the third quarter of 2022.

In total, according to the president of the CPI, senator Plínio Valério, the institution would have received almost R$24 million from the Fund, of which R$6 million would have been spent on preparing the announced project and only R$2.8 million on practical actions .

Senators question Marina Silva’s relationship with Ipam

One of the main criticisms made by the NGOs’ CPI senators was the fact that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, appeared on the page showing the Ipam team. The institute has minister Marina Silva as an honorary advisor to Ipam.

Senator Márcio Bittar (União Brasil-AC), rapporteur for the CPI on NGOs, pointed out that Marina Silva’s relationship with the NGO could influence the release of more resources from the Amazon Fund.

Ipam has already received R$23,408,189.46 through the Amazon Fund. As minister, Marina Silva also forms part of the Amazon Fund Guidance Committee (Cofa), which is responsible for establishing guidelines and criteria for the application of Fund resources, which could help direct resources to the NGO. The president of the CPI of NGOs, senator Plínio Valério, called the relationship “promiscuous”.

CPI points out that other NGOs also have signs of irregularities

Ipam, however, is not the only NGO that may be inflating the resources it allocates to maintaining its activities. According to a document produced by the CPI of NGOs, the Amazon Institute for Man and Environment (Imazon) used 84% of the resources obtained through the Amazon Fund to pay for its own and third-party human resources. This would have happened in the development of the project “Strengthening Environmental Management in the Amazon”, which received R$ 12,104,865.00 from the Amazon Fund and was carried out between the first quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2022.

There are also cases such as a project presented by the Centro de Trabalho Indigenista (CTI), worth R$19 million, in which it was not possible to identify any consultancy contract, payment beneficiary or participants in the events described. Furthermore, there are flight hours without identification of flight plans and contracted company. The CPI document also points out that the project demonstrates actions almost entirely related to the sphere of activity of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples and few in relation to the environment.

The CTI project, entitled “Ethno-environmental protection of isolated and recently contacted indigenous peoples in the Amazon” was contracted by the Amazon Fund in 2014 and completed in 2020.

A People’s Gazette He tried to contact Imazon and CTI, but did not receive a response until this article was written. The space remains open for demonstrations.