During the Forum of the Sepetiba Bay Sea Technological Complex held on July 16 by Itaguaí Construções Navais S.A. (ICN), a letter of intent was signed between the Odebrecht Foundation, the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and Pro-Natura. The ceremony marked the start of the partnership between the institutions to roll out social and economic development actions in the Sepetiba Bay region in Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro.

“This act represents a very important moment symbolically, by which we are underlining our commitment to help build a more harmonious society, marked by solidarity and equal opportunities for all,” said Cristiane Nascimento, head of Sustainable Development at the Odebrecht Foundation. The foundation, which has been active for over 50 years, will provide its social technology to drive transformation in other scenarios and territories. “It is an experiment with tangible results and which will be increasingly disseminated.”

The event, held at the UFRRJ campus in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, was attended by over 200 representatives from public, private and non-profit institutions to share knowledge and practices that could boost the formation of business clusters (where different institutions join hands towards a common goal) in the region of Rio de Janeiro to drive the social and economic development of Sepetiba Bay, Itaguaí e other surrounding regions. Sixteen initiatives were presented at the event, such as the Development and Integrated Growth Program with Sustainability (PDCIS), organized by the Odebrecht Foundation in the Southern Bahia Lowlands.

Note: Itaguaí Construções Navais S.A. (ICN) is a consortium consisting of OEC and Naval Group, which builds submarines for the Brazilian Navy.