IBGE
IBGE participates in the 20th anniversary celebration of the Institute for Socioeconomic and Cartographic Studies of Maranhão State
March 25, 2026 01h43 PM | Last Updated: March 27, 2026 12h43 AM
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) participated, on Wednesday (19/3), of the celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Institute for Socioeconomic and Cartographic Studies of Maranhão State - IMESC. The ceremony was held at the Alberto Abdala Auditorium, of the Federation of Industries in the State of Maranhão (FIEMA), in São Luís (MA), and gathered specialists, public managers, researchers and and representatives of strategic institutions in Brazil.
With the topic “IMESC 20 years: knowledge to build tomorrow,” the initiative celebrated two decades of its production of studies, research and essential information for planning and development of Maranhão.
The event was attended by authorities, including the president of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Marcio Pochmann; the president of the National Association of Planning, Research and Statistics (Anipes), José Acácio Ferreira; the president of IMESC, Dionatan Carvalho; and the chief-secretary of the General Government Secretariat, Luís Fernando Silva, on behalf of governor Carlos Brandão. Also present were the state government secretaries Genilson Alves (Human Rights), Célia Salazar (Racial Equality), Luiz Henrique Lula (Labor and Solidary Economy), Leuzinete Pereira (Government Foundation School), Roberto Matos (Planning and Budget), on behalf of secretary Vinícius Ferro, and Eduardo Oliveira (Science and Technology), on behalf of secretary Natassia Weba, besides representatives of Banco do Nordeste, of the Public Defenders Office of Maranhão and other state government bodies.
The president of the IBGE, Marcio Pochmann, participated in the lecture together with José Acácio Ferreira, of the Superintendent for Economic and Social Studies of Bahia (SEI-BA).
In his speech, Pochmann emphasized the strategic role of IMESC for public planning and the importance of the articulation between state instituions and the national statistical system. “In Maranhão, IMESC consolidated its position in public planning, turning information into strategic knowledge to guide policies and face inequalities, thus reinforcing the role of the State in qualified territorial analysis."
“Along this path, articulation with the IBGE is a central issue, as it promotes connection of the national base of statistics with regional dynamics. In a reality of misinformation and of pressure on public institutions, celebrating this anniversary is also defending information sovereignty, science the Brazil's capacity to plan an autonomous future based on evidence. Congratulations,” Pochmann added.
The IBGE superintendent in Maranhão, Marcelo Virgínio, also took part in the celebrations. “IMESC's 20th anniversary is a not a celebration of the institution only, but of the entire society of Maranhão,” he said, after emphasizing the relevance of the Institute in the production of data and support to public planning.
According to Dionatan Carvalho, president of IMESC, celebrating the 20 years of the institution is a reason for great satisfaction. “We have brought together important representatives at national and state levels, promoting qualified discussions in partnership with a number of institutions, mainly in the field of territorial planning. It was a very fruitful agenda, which reinforces the role of the Institute in the generation of knowledge and strenghtening of public policies in Maranhão.”
The chief secretary of the General Government Secretariat, Luís Fernando Silva, on behalf of governor Carlos Brandão, commented on the importance of the institution. “20 years of IMESC, being very well celebrated by its officials, board of directors and representatives of public and business managers, inlcuding some not from Maranhão. All that adds to the recognition of the valuable role played by the Institute in the formulation and monitoring on public policies in the state."
IMESC's predecessors data back to the 19th century, when the Public state Library lost its Statistics Department. After the revolution of 1930, the Directorate of Statistics and Publicity (1936), responsible for statistical problems in the state, in cooperation with the National Institute of Statistics, which preceded the IBGE. In this same period, the Directorate was transformed into a State Department of Statistics (1939) under the General State Secretariat, which is equivalent to the current Executive Office of the Governor.
With the creation of IMESC, applied research in public planning was reinstated, with the development of a number of studies and research projects, the implementation of a database with socioeconomic and cartographic information about the reality of Maranhão, the reestablishment of analysis studies on the socioeconomic context, and education for new researchers. In addition to producing studies and research, the Institute also coordinates concrete public policies, such as regionalization, international cooperation, and the revitalization of the Itapecuru River basin.
