The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) will participate in the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17), to be held from August 17 to 28, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The organization will bring the perspectives, demands and proposals of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil to the international debate on addressing desertification, land degradation and drought.
APIB’s participation is grounded in the recognition that Indigenous Peoples are among those most directly affected by environmental degradation processes and the effects of prolonged droughts. Across different Brazilian biomes, Indigenous territories are affected by deforestation, land grabbing, mining, the expansion of commodity production chains, and pressure on water resources and traditional ways of life.
These processes threaten not only ecosystems, but also water sources, food sovereignty, biodiversity, traditional knowledge, cultural practices and the very continuity of Indigenous Peoples’ ways of life.
For APIB, addressing desertification cannot be treated solely as a technical or environmental agenda. It is also an agenda of Indigenous rights, climate justice, territorial protection and historical reparation.
In this regard, the demarcation and protection of Indigenous territories, the strengthening of Indigenous territorial and environmental management, direct financing for Indigenous Peoples, the guarantee of free, prior and informed consultation and consent (FPIC), traceability throughout commodity production chains, and accountability for economic activities that degrade biomes are key measures to address land degradation, drought and the impacts of the climate crisis.
Side Event at the Brazil Pavilion
During COP17, APIB, in partnership with its indigenous regional organization, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations of the Northeast, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (APOINME), will hold a side event at the Brazil Pavilion, located at C2 in the Blue Zone.
The event will take place on August 19, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. (local time), under the title:
Indigenous Perspectives on Desertification: Pathways to Address Land Degradation and Prolonged Drought in Brazil’s Biomes.
The panel will bring together Indigenous leaders from Brazil to discuss the advance of desertification and the effects of drought across Brazilian biomes from the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, with particular attention to impacts on Indigenous territories and traditional ways of life.
The event will seek to affirm that combating desertification requires responses that go beyond exclusively technical or environmental approaches. The protection of territories, the guarantee of Indigenous rights, and the strengthening of Indigenous forms of territorial and environmental management are fundamental elements for addressing biome degradation and building effective responses to the climate crisis.
The panel will also address measures such as direct financing for Indigenous Peoples, the guarantee of free, prior and informed consultation and consent (FPIC), traceability throughout commodity production chains, and accountability for economic activities that contribute to environmental degradation.
The event will be aimed at government representatives, negotiators, civil society organizations, academics, funders, international organizations and other stakeholders involved in developing responses to desertification, drought and land degradation.
APIB’s participation in COP17 reaffirms that there can be no effective action against desertification without Indigenous rights, nor climate justice without the protection of Indigenous territories.