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On the occasion of a constituting workshop in Brasília, held in May 2004, UNCTAD/BioTrade Initiative in cooperation with the Brazilian institutions APEX, Funbio and SEBRAE, decided to set up a task force in order to establish and implement a BioTrade programme in Brazil. The four parties formally announced and constituted the BioTrade Brazil Task Force by signing a Letter of Intention during the Eleventh Ministerial Conference, UNCTAD XI on 15 June 2004 in São Paulo, Brazil. Representing the Brazilian Government, the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, also signed the document as witness.

The Brazil Task Force is aimed at selecting and strengthening value chains of biodiversity-based products and services with trade potential in line with the objectives of the CBD. The work with value chains will be a starting point for fostering  trade and investment in Brazilian biodiversity-based products and services in the long term and using biotrade as a tool for exploiting this country's rich biodiversity in a sustainable way.

The programme's initial step is to select a value chain, such as medicinal plants, ornamental fish, Amazon fruits among others, with trade potential in national and international markets. A strategy for the selected product groups will be later formulated in collaboration with relevant actors per product group and region. The strategy will allow the various actors within a value chain to create a common vision and introduce sustainable practices throughout the production process. A work plan will then be formulated in a subsequent implementation phase to put the objectives of the strategy into practice.