Which international agreement was signed in 1978 to promote cooperation among Amazon countries?

The Amazon Cooperation Treaty was signed in 1978 to promote cooperation among the countries sharing the Amazon Basin.

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela signed the agreement. French Guiana is geographically part of the Amazon region but is an overseas department of France and was not a treaty signatory.

The treaty encourages cooperation on areas including navigation, scientific research, water resources, transport, health, and environmental management. It reflects the idea that Amazonian countries can coordinate policies while retaining sovereignty over their own territories.

The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, usually abbreviated ACTO, was created in 1995 to support implementation. The agreement is sometimes confused with the later organization itself: the treaty is the 1978 diplomatic instrument, while ACTO is the institutional body that followed.