More About Indigenous Rights

Brazil's New President Threatens "the Lungs of the Planet"

Indigenous leaders battle to save their land and their way of life

If there is hope for the rainforest, and for countries where authoritarians threaten democracy and progressive agendas, it lies in the determination and power of civil society activists like Sônia Guajajara.

Protecting Indigenous Lands Protects the Environment. Trump and Bolsonaro Threaten Both.

Among the many parallels between their administrations, Bolsonaro and Trump are both taking extreme action to strip the hard-earned rights of indigenous peoples to the benefit of extractive industries and commercial farming. These policies present threats to our communities, the integrity of ecosystems on our lands and the stability of our climate.

GeoPark Fomenting Social Conflicts in Peru's Amazon

Report details how oil companies are sowing discord among indigenous communities in Block 64 (Morona Block)

Washington, DC – A detailed new report published by the non-governmental organization Center for Public Policy and Human Rights (Equidad Perú) identifies the oil company GeoPark as responsible for dangerous divide-and-conquer strategies in the Peruvian Amazon. The company is also facing related criticisms of downplaying environmental concerns in their Environmental Impact Study and entering into a close relationship with Peru's security forces, even using a military encampment as their base of operations.

Brazil's Indigenous Peoples Suffer Wave of Invasions and Attacks

Emboldened by the institutional assault upon indigenous rights being waged by the regime of Jair Bolsonaro, rural mafias are organizing an unprecedented wave of land invasions and attacks on native territories and communities. As Brazil's indigenous agency FUNAI is systematically dismantled, with its mandate to title and monitor indigenous lands handed to agribusiness interests and religious zealots, vast Amazonian forests are becoming increasingly vulnerable to exploitation.

Bolsonaro Wants to Plunder the Amazon. Don't Let Him.

The Brazilian president's pro-business agenda will be a test of American companies' commitment to the environment.

Mr. Bolsonaro's rise to power will test companies' promises to be responsible. Will leading global agribusiness companies be complicit in Mr. Bolsonaro's assault on the Amazon and its people, thus sacrificing their commitments, their reputation and our climate? And will financial institutions like BlackRock heed their own calls for companies to pursue purpose and not just profit? Or will they put short-term profits ahead of the planet's future?

Jair Bolsonaro Launches Assault on Amazon Rainforest Protections

Executive order transfers regulation and creation of indigenous reserves to agriculture ministry controlled by agribusiness lobby

"There will be an increase in deforestation and violence against indigenous people," said Dinaman Tuxá, the executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous People of Brazil. "Indigenous people are defenders and protectors of the environment."

As President Bolsonaro Takes Power, Brazil's Indigenous Movement Prepares to Resist

Brazilian social movements and their allies brace for an assault on rights and environmental protections

The inauguration of right-wing zealot Jair Bolsonaro to Brazil's presidency ushers in a dangerous era for human rights, environmental safeguards, and the rule of law in the world's fourth-largest democracy.