Brasília, April 7, 2025 – Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL), or Free Land Camp, 2025 began with ceremonies and a historic announcement in the tent of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab). The declaration united Indigenous Peoples from the Amazon, the Pacific Islands and Australia. Among these are the Pacific Climate Warriors, historically powerful voices at UN climate conferences, as well as alliances that were formed last year, such as the G9, formed by Indigenous organizations from the nine countries of Amazon Basin, and the Indigenous Troika, articulation with leaders from Brazil, the Pacific Islands and Australia that seeks to guarantee continuity and Indigenous protagonism in COPs 29, 30 and 31.
- Photos and videos – Declaration and opening ceremony (will continue to updated throughout the day) – credit Kathleen Limayo/350.org
**Quotes and comments from spokespeople after declaration**
In this 21st edition of ATL, the theme of Coiab’s tent, “For the Climate and the Amazon: The Answer is Us”, brings the strong international dimension of the event this year in which the largest global climate conference, COP30, will be based in Belém, a city at the heart of the Amazon forest. On the text, the Indigenous groups of the ecosystems that regulate the planet’s lands and seas the most, the Amazon forest and the Pacific Ocean, stated that “from now on, we will be united, declaring to the world that, if it depends on us, the COP in the Amazon will be the symbol of a decisive turn in climate negotiations and mobilizations”:
United by the Strength of the Earth: The Answer Is Us
Declaration of the Alliance between the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, the Pacific and Australia
We, the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon with support from Indigenous Representation of the Pacific and First Nations people of Australia, united by the ancestral strength of the Earth, by the wisdom that sustains life, and by the tireless fight in defense of a possible future, launch this declaration as an urgent ethical call: the climate crisis does not wait, and governments fail to act in the face of the greatest threat to humanity.
We, with our ancient cultures and knowledge, are the guardians of the lands and seas that regulate the planet’s balance. The Amazon and the Pacific are connected by the urgency of saving what is most precious: life. However, greed and unbridled exploitation threaten to destroy what we have kept alive for millennia. Governments’ indifference, far from protecting, exposes our islands and forests to the risk of extinction, but they will not silence us.
We have always been here.
While governments follow the selfish logic of “everyone out for themselves”, we, in a union of peoples, weave a network of resistance and hope between the lands of the Amazon and the seas of the Pacific. Our ancestral knowledge and our hearts beat together, protecting the land, air and waters, ensuring that the song of the forests and oceans never goes out.
We, in the Pacific, have been raising our voices at COPs, but the inaction and indifference of those in power are incomprehensible. Our islands are on the verge of disappearing, and our elders have taken our solutions to the international community. Yet the severity of our fate does not seem to touch the hearts of those who sit at the table to decide our existence. But we won’t give up.
We fight, we don’t sink.
We, in the Amazon, have been doing our part in defending the forest and are closely following the struggle of our Pacific brothers and sisters in their call for a dignified life at climate conferences. This year, the conference will take place at our home in the Amazon. One thing is certain: the echo of your ethical call resonates with us as firm allies, committed to the defense of life.
From now on, we will be united, declaring to the world that, if it depends on us, the COP in the Amazon will be the symbol of a decisive turn in climate negotiations and mobilizations. Our message is simple and direct: we can no longer tolerate a lack of ambition in the face of the biggest crisis of all times. We feel an ethical responsibility to take our voice to the center of political decision-making.
The Brazilian presidency of COP30 responded to the cry of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon and Brazil and proposed the creation of the Indigenous Leadership Circle. Now, we wait for this request to become real and effective, and for it to have weight at the highest levels. We do not want a merely symbolic and performative institution, with no concrete political impact. No one has the privilege of waiting for promises to turn into action in the future: our lives are at risk now.
We, Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, the Pacific, and Australia demand:
- That indigenous and local community leaders have equal voice and power as Heads of State in COP30, with the same legitimacy, decision-making power and respect that country representations hold.
- Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to clean energy sources and phasing out fossil fuels, ensuring the most vulnerable communities actively participate in a more just and sustainable future.
- That people who live in harmony with nature must receive direct funding, as their ancient knowledge is essential for the preservation of biodiversity and climate justice. And compensation for the harm they suffer must be fair, transparent and immediate.
- The integral protection of forests, oceans and soils, the planet’s largest natural carbon sinks, as well as the fundamental recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities as preservers of their territories. This must be reflected in the review of countries’ climate targets (NDCs).
This is the starting point for any discussion about the Global Ethical Balance. The Amazon forest and the Pacific Ocean are essential for preserving global biodiversity and act as natural barriers against climate change.
COP30, in the Amazon, cannot be marked by a lack of solutions. This is the time to make history, to act with courage and justice. The global mobilizations of 2019, driven by youth, called for a future where life was revered. Now, five years later, it is our turn to lead this fight and to demand limits!
We need to draw a clear line for a world in crisis – We can no longer ignore the pressing issues that threaten our future.
We take this step together and we call all people to ally with us.
The answer is us. All of us!
– The G9 of the Indigenous Amazon, the Indigenous Troika and the Pacific Climate Warriors
Toya Manchineri, coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab), G9 member, said:
“The greatest climate authorities are us, the guardians of the Earth, Indigenous leaders. Today is a historic day, in which the people of the largest forest in the world unite with the people of the largest ocean in the world to face the largest planetary challenge of our time, climate change. COP30 will be a crucial space to make this key turn of events in global climate discussions, but our alliance with the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific islands and Australia goes beyond that. We want to continue strengthening solidarity with our indigenous brothers and sisters, as well as allies from around the world, because what unites us is stronger than any border or frontier. We will move forward together, for the future of the planet. The answer is us, all of us.”
George Nacewa, Pacific Climate Warriors and Community Organizer at 350.org in Fiji, said:
“The Pacific Climate Warriors know what it means to fight for a part of the planet that sustains the lives of millions of people. So much of global survival is tied to the Pacific Ocean, just as it is tied to the Amazon, and yet the guardians of both entities are being neglected. Today we come to join hands with our indigenous family in Brazil as they prepare to host the UN climate negotiations. We know that true climate leadership exists within these walls, why can’t the world’s leaders look up to that? If they don’t have the will policy of getting our climate back on track to ensure everyone’s survival, so bring us to the table and we will help you get there.”
Patricia Suarez, National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC), G9 member, said:
“We, Indigenous Peoples, came into this world with a sacred mandate: to care for life and live in balance with it, guided by our cultural principles and foundations. But today, the lives of all of us are at risk. The Amazon is bleeding to death. In Colombia, our territories are being invaded by illegal mining, illicit crops, armed violence and criminal economies that threaten our peoples and our legitimate authorities. We cannot remain silent. Global decisions on climate and biodiversity, taken without the full and binding participation of Indigenous Peoples, are accelerating our physical, cultural and territorial disappearance. We are here today, as Indigenous Peoples from all over the Amazon, to tell the world and governments: no more empty speeches! It is time for our rights to be fully recognized. Sisters and brothers of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, of the Amazon, of all Abya Yala and the Pacific: count on us, the 64 Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, organized in OPIAC. Our struggle is the same: for the forests, for our rights, for our daughters and sons, for the balance of life. Because their dreams are also ours. And no one, never, will take that collective dream away from us.”
END
Media contacts
At ATL in Brasília:
Mariana Abdalla, 350.org | + 55 21 99823 5563
Remote:
Cinthia Leone, Clima Info (At ATL on 9 and 11/4) | +55 11 97367-4978 and Rachel Brabbins, 350.org | +55 21 98299-8251