COP30 in Belém: Brazil's Indigenous Minister Warns 'Without Indigenous Peoples, There Is No Future for Humanity'

Belém, Brazil — On the eve of COP30, held for the first time in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil's Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, urged world leaders and negotiators to put Indigenous communities at the center of global climate action. "Without them, there is no future for humanity," she told AFP, highlighting Indigenous stewardship of forests, water and biodiversity as essential to the planet's climate balance.

A historic location and a historic voice

Guajajara, 51, a member of the Guajajara-Tenetehara people who was born on an Indigenous reserve in Maranhão state, is the first person to hold the ministry created by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after he returned to office in 2023. Hosting COP30 in the Amazon gives the conference a direct connection to frontline communities and ecosystems, and Guajajara hopes it will strengthen public understanding of Indigenous realities.

Progress and persistent barriers

Guajajara praised growing Indigenous representation at climate talks since her first COP in 2009, when there were only one or two Indigenous attendees and little opportunity to participate meaningfully. "There has been tremendous progress," she said, citing inclusion in presidential summits and initiatives such as the Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF).

Still, she warned that political and legal obstacles remain. A law enacted by Brazil's predominantly conservative congress now restricts recognition of Indigenous lands, slowing the formal creation of reserves and complicating efforts to protect territories that safeguard carbon sinks and biodiversity.

Why Indigenous leadership matters

"It has been proven that the presence of Indigenous peoples, whether on demarcated territories or not, ensures clean water, protected biodiversity, pesticide-free food, and standing forests," Guajajara said.

Brazil is home to roughly 1.7 million Indigenous people across 391 ethnic groups who speak 295 languages. Guajajara argues that Indigenous land management is not only a matter of rights—it is central to global climate resilience.

Climate impacts on Indigenous communities

Guajajara described how climate-driven floods and droughts are already disrupting daily life in Indigenous territories: fish die and water is contaminated, river transport and roads become impassable, food security is threatened, and children lose access to schools. She stressed that Indigenous peoples are often the first to feel climate impacts, despite their role as "guardians of the forest."

Looking ahead: Guajajara called on governments and funders to ensure Indigenous leadership, increase financing for Indigenous-led conservation, and accelerate land recognition and protection. As COP30 unfolds in the Amazon, she hopes it will translate visibility into concrete policy and funding commitments that uphold Indigenous rights and the planet's future.