Investor Presentaiton
COVER LETTER
The year 2018 was particularly intense, punctuated
by elections and a possible change in government
and priorities, coupled with economic and
environmental crises. However, this did not get
in the way of WRI Brasil fulfilling its mission
to produce quality studies and articulate
relevant actions to promote sustainable
development in the country. To the contrary,
the year presented opportunities for the
organization to act, in the form of partnerships
and alliances, increasing scale and impact in
the areas of Forests, Cities and Climate.
The WRI Brasil Forests program continued to
unveil innovative means to provide incentives
for the restoration of landscapes and forests.
Estimates are that some 30 million hectares
in the country are currently degraded and do
not fulfill any economic role, not to mention an
ecological function. To unlock the potential of
forest restoration in Brazil, the Forests team has
sought to demonstrate the economic viability of
restoring with native species, mapping mechanisms
for governance and financing on landscapes and
testing new sustainable production technologies,
by means of the VERENA, Pró-Restaura and
Landscape Restoration projects. The team
launched two studies about natural infrastructure
for the supply of water in Brazil that show that
planting forests improves water quality and
generates a return on investments for sanitation
companies and states. The program strives
for the promotion of business, social inclusion
and gender equality, with highlights including
projects in Pintadas (state of Bahia, Northeast
Brazil) and Juruti (state of Pará, North Brazil).
The challenge of making our cities more accessible,
equanimous, healthy and resilient guides the
Cities program in discovering innovative ways to
deal with the problems inherent to major urban
centers. In 2018, we promoted partnerships and
projects in several cities, including São Paulo,
Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. Among the
leading lines of action are efforts involving Active
Mobility, Sustainable Urban Mobility and Urban
Development. These lines produced results such as
the dissemination of the Complete Streets concepts,
the identification of barriers and solutions for bus
electrification - a viable and efficient solution
for public transport in Brazilian cities -, and
work with a tool that measures the impact of
air pollution on the health of the population.
Partners such as the National Mayors Front (FNP)
and the Ministry of Cities were fundamental
in efforts developed to improve planning and
the well-being of Brazilian urban centers.
In 2018, we once again witnessed the dangers of a
new world: as a result of climate changes caused
by human activity, Brazil, too, suffered from high
temperatures, torrential downpours and severe
droughts. The WRI Brasil Climate program sought to
bolster initiatives and mechanisms to implement the
Paris Agreement. The program supports the inclusion
of climate change amongst the strategic topics of
the 4th Open Government Plan of Action, under
the coordination of the Government Accountability
Office (CGU). Together with Instituto Escolhas
and the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable
Development (CEBDS), the program was involved in
the Thematic Chamber on the Long-Term Outlook of
the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change (FBMC). It
worked to enhance and disseminate the GHG Protocol
- Agriculture and the GHG Protocol - Silviculture,
which allow the private sector to tally and mitigate
emissions. Efforts around climate governance create
inroads for the Climate program to be more effective
in favor of a low-carbon economy aimed at improving
the lives of Brazilians, while simultaneously mitigating
and adapting the country to climate changes.
Internally, WRI Brasil has been focusing on
retaining talent and promoting respect and
diversity. We have enhanced the recruitment
process, fostering greater transparency. We have
bolstered WRI Brasil's financial control standards
and updated our Code of Conduct, reinforcing
our internal policies. And we have engaged the
team in essential subjects through activities by
Diversity and Sustainability Work Groups.
The Communication department prioritized
leveraging the WRI Brasil brand and website
and initiated a new strategy with the press. The
Strategic Relations department ensured the
fulfillment of goals and strengthened efforts to
attract resources and identify new partners.
WRI Brasil is well prepared to support Brazil in
its challenges in favor of sustainable development,
with social inclusion and gender equality, working
alongside capable partners in the public and
private sectors, the voluntary sector and academia.
We are immensely grateful for our supporters,
board members, staff and partners, on whom we
rely to continue along the road to sustainability.
Rmansion
Rachel Biderman
Executive Director
WRI Brasil
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WRIbrasil.org.br
WRI BRASIL 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
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