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Belém, Brazil – As the first United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in the Amazon gets underway Nov. 10, hundreds of artists and cultural influencers are amplifying the six major demands of Indigenous groups who are calling on world leaders to take urgent action to protect the Amazon and uphold Indigenous rights.
Among the celebrities backing the Indigenous demands are Jason Momoa, Shawn Mendes, Alok, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Ruffalo, Rosario Dawson, Peter Gabriel, Jane Fonda, Joaquin Phoenix, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Bridges, Malin Akerman, Walton Goggins, and Cedella Marley.
“The Amazon is the beating heart of the planet,” said Momoa, an American actor and film producer. “Its forests create ‘flying rivers’-invisible streams of fresh water that sustain life across the globe. But mining, oil drilling, and logging are destroying the rainforest and threatening the Indigenous guardians who protect it. Stand in solidarity. Protect the heart of the world.”
The Political Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin and of All Biomes of Brazil for COP30 was recently issued to unify Indigenous voices and demands for systemic change.
“At COP30, the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin come together as one political voice,” said Angela Kaxuyana, Coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB). “We are not asking for inclusion, we demand full and effective participation. Our message is clear: there will be no real climate solution without the recognition of our territories, our rights, and our governance. COP30 must deliver concrete commitments, not empty promises.”
The six demands of the Declaration center on the legal security of Indigenous territories; declaring the Amazon as an exclusion zone for extractive activities; full and effective participation and representation in all decision-making spaces; protect Indigenous defenders; direct access to funding to Indigenous Peoples; and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge as climate strategies.
The Declaration was issued by all nine National Amazonian Indigenous organizations including: (COIAB (Brasil), OPIAC (Colombia), AIDESEP (Perú), CONFENIAE (Ecuador), OIS (Suriname), APA (Guyana), ORPIA (Venezuela), CIDOB (Bolivia), FOAG (French Guyana), and COICA (Regional).
“COP30 must be a turning point – a moment like the Paris Agreement – where the world takes responsibility for protecting Indigenous Peoples and our territories as the living heart of the planet,” Ginny Alba of OPIAC said. “Our hope is that governments turn promises into concrete actions and commit to real measures that ensure climate justice and a future for all humanity.”
Additional Information
Indigenous Demands for COP30 Include:
- Ensure the legal security of Indigenous Territories as a climate action through demarcation, titling, and other legal and administrative measures, including for the territories of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI), as climate policy and action
- Adopt and implement direct, flexible, and culturally appropriate financing mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples and their organizations
- Declare the Amazon as an exclusion zone from all the extractive activities – in particular oil, gas and mining — beginning with Indigenous Peoples’ territories, especially the territories of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI)
- Ensure full and effective participation and representation of Indigenous Peoples at all levels of decision-making processes
- Adopt urgent protection measures for Indigenous and environmental leaders, women leaders, and defenders at risk, prioritizing regional prevention and protection protocols coordinated with the justice and human rights institutions of each country
- Recognize and integrate Indigenous knowledge systems as legitimate strategies for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and environmental restoration
A Global Movement of Solidarity
As the Indigenous Political Declaration gains momentum ahead of COP30, artists, activists, and storytellers have come together across the world for the Amazonia Calling campaign, to stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples – amplifying their leadership and stories through creative and digital mobilizations. A network of over a dozen allied organizations and campaigns, such as The Answer Is Us, an initiative born in the Brazilian Amazon and now adopted at global levels by more than 80 movements of communities and activists, and its founding member COIAB, have partnered with Amazonia Calling, and are working together to elevate the demands of the Indigenous Political Declaration to protect the Amazon and the planet.
One way this shared movement has come to life has been through the Yaku Mama Flotilla – a journey that began in the Ecuadorian Andes and has been travelling to COP30 in Belem along the Amazon River, representing the spirit and demands of the Indigenous Political Declaration. Led by Indigenous Peoples and their allies, the flotilla celebrates Indigenous knowledge systems, local food culture, and the myriad of answers to the climate crisis that come from Indigenous Peoples. On November 10th in Belem, as COP30 begins, the flotilla will connect up with other “Roads to COP30” Indigenous caravans, weaving together stories of resistance, resilience, and unity across the region.
For more details, visit Amazonia Calling’s website at amazoniacalling.org.
