Public and private agents can and should promote racial equality through their practices.

This is one of the conclusions of the debates that took place at the event “Social risks in public and private contracts”. The meeting was organized by the Business Initiative for Racial Equality with the support of Manesco Advogados. Moderation was carried out by Maís Moreno, partner and director of sustainability and institutional relations at Manesco, and Raphael Vicente, general director of the Business Initiative for Racial Equality.

The seminar included speeches by Floriano de Azevedo Marques, partner at Manesco and professor at FDUSP; Inês Coimbra, attorney general of the State of SP; and Walter Baére Filho, legal director of the BNDES.

Last week, the Ministry of the Environment, with the support of the BNDES, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and the Investment Partnerships Program, launched the first public notice for a forestry concession focused on restoration and recovery of the Native Atlantic Forest.

In addition to public institutions, Manesco, Ramires, Perez, Azevedo Marques, Sociedade de Advogados also participated in the modeling of the project, together with FGV Projetos and STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.

The project combines the preservation of the environment and the viability of economic interests in the National Forests (Flonas) of Itatiba (PR), Chapecó (SC) and Três Barras (SC). Investments of R$ 430 million are foreseen in the forest operation and in the Atlantic Forest restoration chain over the 35 years of the contract.

The contract is full of innovations. One of them is the permission to exploit carbon credits. This is one of the keys to enabling the reforestation of regions with species native to the Atlantic Forest. Today, the three Flonas are largely occupied by planting pine trees, a species that is not native to Brazil. "The contract makes possible the sustainable management of the current vegetation and, with the carbon credits, maintains the attractiveness of the concession even in the case of something as costly as reforestation", observes Tatiana Cymbalista, a partner at Manesco.

Another innovation of this contract is to address gender equality clauses. This is the first BNDES public notice with policies for hiring women and training on gender equality and wage equity, as highlighted by Maís Moreno, a partner at Manesco and one of those responsible for modeling the project.

The bidding process for these 3 Flonas will make it possible to identify the market's appetite for a new round of concessions for public forests and green areas, already within the scope of the legislative changes that expanded the possibilities for concessions involving carbon credits.

State of Rio publishes notice for Call for Projects aimed at the ecological restoration of the Atlantic Forest
The initiative is part of the Forests of Tomorrow Program and aims to invite non-profit institutions to present proposals, with engineering studies, for the ecological restoration of the Atlantic Forest in the municipalities of Itaboraí, Tanguá, Guapimirim, Magé, Cachoeiras de Macacu, Niterói, São Gonçalo , Maricá and Rio Bonito. The total value of the Call is R$ 25 million. Entries can be made until 31.07.

Municipality of Rio launches the “Alvará a Jato” system
The functionality will allow municipal authorizations for low-risk activities to be generated in about a minute, through self-declaration. The measure is part of the implementation of the Municipal Economic Freedom Law (Complementary Law No. 238/2021). The Jet Permit can be applied for by entrepreneurs working at home and small businesses, as long as the place does not have more than 200 m² and does not gather more than 100 people.

Federal Government will help finance the first IMPA college, based in Rio de Janeiro
The federal faculty of Mathematics will be installed in the Port Zone of Rio, in a warehouse belonging to the municipal entity. The Federal Government intends to initially contribute 16.7 million for the construction of the unit, which should be inaugurated in early 2024. The initiative adds directly to the “Porto Maravalley” Rio de Janeiro project, which aims to transform the region into a development hub for high-quality startups. technology.

Government of Rio defends the stateization of the Federal Hospital of Lagoa
The project aims to convert the Hospital Federal da Lagoa into a reference unit for oncology care, which will be renamed the State Cancer Institute. The State Government previously discussed the issue with the Federal Government under former President Bolsonaro, who returns under President Lula. In case of success, the future State Cancer Institute will cost Rio between R$ 250 million and R$ 300 million per year.