Idesam’s latest recognition brings new opportunities to the Amazon
Translated by Felipe Sá
With 16 years of work in the Amazon, Idesam now officially qualifies as a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP in Portuguese) and is now recognized as one. The position was given at the end of 2020, by the Ministry of Justice, opening a diversity of new branches of action for the institute, which includes the offer of microcredit and access to partnerships and agreements with all levels of government and public agencies.
The qualification as an OSCIP offers new possibilities of support that Idesam has to offer to the sustainable productive chains with which it has been working during these years. Among them are mainly micro credit initiatives and fund operations to accelerate impact business in the Amazon in a more structured way and with greater financial volume. According to Idesam’s executive director, Paola Bleicker, the change also presents the opportunity to operate hybrid capital contracts (both from donations and private investors), besides allowing a more adequate relationship with the government.
“It will also allow donations made by companies to be deducted from the Income Tax and will also make it possible to receive seized, abandoned or available assets, managed by Brazil’s Internal Revenue Service. Thus, we consolidate and strengthen the institutional premises, based on legality, morality, efficiency and transparency of the institution”, emphasizes Bleicker.
Because it is a federal and legal recognition, the closest to what is understood as a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), the executive director highlights that the framing as an OSCIP is marked by legal requirements of accountability concerning all public money received from the State and other sources.
“We knew that it would be necessary to seek this qualification due to the conduction of our programs, within the mission we have established as the core of the Institution”, adds Bleicker.
NGO is the term popularly used to designate Third Sector entities working with public interest actions not tied to the government. An OSCIP is the qualification of an NGO, and like any organization belonging to the Third Sector, it does not seek for profit in its activities.
The body responsible for granting this qualification certificate – according to Law number 9.790, of 03/23/1999 – is the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. In the official portal of the Ministry it is possible to access guidelines to start this type of process.
