APIB mobilizes over 3,000 indigenous people and proposes goals in conference negotiations
Leaders of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) and its regional organizations are participating, starting today, November 10, in the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP-30, in Belém, Pará. APIB, a national reference for the indigenous movement in the country, demands that the demarcation and protection of Indigenous Lands be the legacy left by the conference in Brazil.
“Our peoples, territories, and traditional ways of life are part of the solution to combat the climate crisis, but unfortunately, the Conference of the Parties does not officially consider indigenous peoples as negotiators. That is why we have been pressing them for months so that the demarcation of Indigenous Lands is at the center of the agenda. We will also mobilize in the streets and show that change needs to happen now,” affirms Dinamam Tuxá, executive coordinator of APIB.
Brazil currently has 107 Indigenous Lands (TIs) ready to be demarcated and awaiting the finalization of the process: 37 are waiting for the declaration ordinance and 70 for the homologation ordinance. Most of the TIs awaiting homologation, the last stage of the process, are concentrated in Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo (10), followed by Amazonas (9) and Pará (8). The data is part of a survey by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib). But the demand for demarcation is even greater: another 161 TIs are in earlier stages of the demarcation process, revealing the dimension of the challenge faced by the indigenous movement in the fight for the guarantee of their recognized and protected territories.
Advancements
Kleber Karipuna, executive coordinator of APIB, comments that the articulations for COP30 began two years ago and resulted in announcements of commitments even before the official start of the COP, such as the one announced by the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), which ensures the unprecedented commitment to a global goal of recognizing indigenous and local community territories, including demarcation goals for the next five years.
Furthermore, we had the guarantee of at least 20% of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) resources destined for direct access by indigenous peoples and local communities, and the Forest Tenure Funders Group (FTFG) announced on November 6 a new financial commitment of US$1.8 billion for actions related to strengthening the land tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs).
“The articulation of the indigenous movement, not only Brazilian but globally, has been intense over the last two years. The goal was to arrive at COP30 with concrete proposals. In partnership with the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, the work to ensure a commitment to territorial recognition was also crucial. This commitment was developed jointly with the FCLP, aiming for countries and combined forces worldwide to recognize the territories of indigenous peoples, local communities, traditional peoples, quilombolas, and conservation areas. The recognition of these lands is fundamental for achieving global climate goals,” says Kleber Karipuna, executive coordinator of APIB.
Program
For COP30, the Articulation divided its strategies into five axes: strengthening the “We Are the Response” Campaign, political articulation with the Peoples’ Summit and the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, advocacy in the COP30 negotiations through the elaboration of the Indigenous Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), action agendas, and the promotion of indigenous governance and participation in COP-30.
In total, more than 3,000 indigenous people are expected to participate in COP30, which runs until November 21. The COP is divided into two official spaces: the blue zone and the green zone. This year, APIB’s delegation has about 360 people credentialed for the blue zone, the restricted space of the conference focused on climate negotiations. However, APIB leaders will also join forces in the Green Zone, at Aldeia COP, at the Peoples’ Summit, and in events in various civil society spaces in the city of Belém.
Among the highlights of the program is the opening of the Indigenous COP at Aldeia COP, located at the Application School of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), on November 12. The space is organized by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) and supported by the indigenous movement.
The indigenous movement’s agenda also includes two marches: the Global Peoples’ March, organized by the Peoples’ Summit, will be held on November 15, and the Global Indigenous March – We Are the Response on the 17th.
To learn more details about the program and APIB’s strategies for COP30, visit the organization’s website: https://apiboficial.org/cop-30/.