Belém: Lula Declares GLO for the Use of Armed Forces during COP30

President Lula declared on Monday, November 3, the application of a Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) decree during the COP30 in Belém, including the leaders summit. The measure came into effect from November 2 to 23 and was taken after a request from the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho. It will also cover the areas with critical infrastructure in Altamira and Tucurí. The measure follows the same procedure adopted during the G20 Summit and Brics meeting. The conference will take place between November 10 and 21, but heads of state and government, ministers, and leaders of international organizations will gather earlier on November 6 and 7 to discuss the main challenges and commitments in addressing climate change. Although public security is the responsibility of the states, the federal government can carry out temporary interventions through GLO, a device that can only be authorized by a decree signed by the President of the Republic. GLO is regulated by Article 142 of the Federal Constitution and grants the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) the power to act as police in a specific area for a determined period. In other words, they can conduct patrols, searches, seizures, and arrests. In general, GLO missions are decreed when traditional security forces cannot contain severe disturbances – but they can also be used in specific occasions, such as the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. “In these actions, the Armed Forces act episodically, in a restricted area and for a limited time, with the aim of preserving public order, the integrity of the population, and ensuring the regular functioning of institutions,” stated a note from the Ministry of Defense. GLO was back in discussion in Rio after the mega-operation launched last Tuesday, the 28th, in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in the North Zone, the deadliest in the history of the state of Rio. Named Containment, the police offensive targeted the leadership of the Red Command (CV) and drug trafficking.