U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visits the Emílio Goeldi Museum's research center in Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River, November 13, 2007. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    BRASILIA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday voiced his support for Brazil's efforts to preserve its Amazon rainforest.

    "I make my firm commitment that the United Nations will work with you and stand by you," Ban said during a tour of Combu Island in the forest's Guama River.

    Calling the Amazon "a common asset of all humankind," Ban said "the people who have been living here for thousands and thousands of years, you are the pioneers in preserving this forest."

    Ban praised Brazil for its efforts to curb forest destruction by 50 percent in the previous two years, although the rate has regained its pace since August.

    Ban's visit is part of his assessment on climate change, which he said will be one of his top priorities during his time in office.

    Accompanying Ban's tour, Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva said the "presence of the UN secretary general is a strong gesture" for the country's conservation efforts.

    Silva also asked Ban to make stronger political efforts to help the forest.

    "We need the secretary general to help convert the international good will into concrete mechanisms that benefit the people living in the Amazon," said Silva.

    Antonio Marcos Alcantara de Oliveira, who represents the Brazilian Amazon indigenous organizations, also called for more UN assistance.

    "The country and the state have contributed, but we need more, we need help," Alcantara said, pointing out that education and health in the region are the areas of particular need.

    Brazil produces the world's fourth-largest amount of carbon emissions, due mostly to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, according to international environmental groups.

    Ban, who began a visit to Brazil Sunday, is in the Amazon to assess the country's fight against deforestation and the promotion of sustainable development in the Amazon region.

    The United Nations is organizing a summit in Bali, Indonesia, to formulate an outline of a new international agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.