Decree No. 11.962 providing for the National Policy for Regional Development.

This Decree provides for the National Policy for Regional Development (PNDR), whose purpose is to reduce regional economic and social inequalities, through the creation of development opportunities that result in sustainable economic growth, income generation activities and improved quality of life. PNDR is based on the planned and articulated mobilization of federal, state, district and municipal, public and private action stimulating and supporting development processes. The objectives of the PNDR are: promote the convergence of intra-regional and inter-regional levels of development and quality of life in the country and equity in access to development opportunities in regions that present low socioeconomic indicators; consolidate a polycentric network of cities, in support of the decentralization and internalization of the country's regional development, in order to consider the specificities of each region; stimulate productivity gains and increase regional competitiveness, especially in regions experiencing population decline and high emigration rates; and encourage value addition and economic diversification in strategic production chains for regional development, observing criteria such as income generation and sustainability, especially in regions with strong specialization in the production of agricultural or mineral commodities.