The foreign ministers of the countries that share the Amazon rainforest in South America met on Thursday in Bogota, ahead of a meeting of heads of state on Friday.

The Fifth Presidential Summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, officially opened Tuesday in the Colombian capital, and brings together leaders alongside scientists and Indigenous representatives.

"We are gathered once again in our firm commitment to the Amazon region and the need to join forces and work in a coordinated manner for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, forests, and water." said Colombia's Interim Foreign Minister, Yolanda Villavicencio on Thursday.

The agenda includes public forums, cultural events and high-level meetings, culminating Friday with a joint declaration setting regional priorities on environmental protection and climate policy.

Indigenous leaders hope to meet with national leaders face-to-face for the first time at such a summit.

"Our leaders, when they think about the development of countries, don't consider it from a regional perspective. They think much more from a market perspective." said Oscar Daza, Secretary General of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon.

Indigenous groups from all eight Amazonian nations issued a statement Monday evening, calling the rainforest a global lifeline that provides about one-fifth of the world’s freshwater and acts as one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks, absorbing vast amounts of heat-trapping carbon dioxide.

They are urging South American presidents meeting in Bogota this week to turn promises to protect the region's rainforest into concrete action, and to give Indigenous groups more say in the region's future.

AP Video shot by Marko Alvarez