By CS Staff
This past week marked the conclusion of the climate negotiations, which took place from November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. During this week, Cultural Survival’s delegation contributed to COP30 with a critical analysis that links rigorous research with strategic advocacy, aimed at supporting and positioning the demands of our allied organizations and the broader Indigenous movement that demands climate action that includes robust human rights safeguards, particularly for Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a cornerstone across all climate action initiatives.
The 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC COP30) was being held on the territory of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, who, to the disappointment of many, have not been fully involved in the negotiation process due to limited access to the official negotiation area. (More details about what happened during the first week of the conference.)
One of the most outstanding achievements, which will not be reflected in the adopted documents, is the attention given to the Indigenous Peoples of this region and the world as a whole. For the first time in many years of climate negotiations, the world media, government delegations, and Climate Conference participants in general have paid so much attention to the issue of the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the inclusion of their rights and interests in future decisions and actions.
The issue of violations of Indigenous rights was raised everywhere, as a direct result of Indigenous Peoples’ active participation throughout negotiations and demanding rights on the streets. The recognition and protection of Indigenous Peoples' territories are key to combating climate change and mitigating its effects, as is the guaranteed application of the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent to any actions affecting the territories, resources, culture, and lives of Indigenous Peoples.
That is why Indigenous Peoples are demanding that the demarcation of lands (the definition and establishment of boundaries of territories that traditionally belong to these peoples, to secure their rights to these territories and the natural resources found therein) be included as one of the goals of the climate negotiations.
On November 17, the first day of the second week of negotiations, was marked as Indigenous Peoples' Day. On this day, the Brazilian government announced the creation of new protected areas spanning hundreds of thousands of hectares and inhabited by thousands of people from the Mura, Tupinambá de Olivença, Pataxó, Guarani-Kaiowá, Munduruku, Pankará, and Guarani-Mbya Indigenous Peoples. For Indigenous Peoples, this is a cause for joy and hope, as well as a chance to preserve their territories, biodiversity, traditional way of life, and culture.
In addition, the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was finally officially launched at COP28 in Dubai. The World Bank will serve as the interim administrator of the TFFF. The launch of the TFFF may be one of the best outcomes of COP30, as one of the fund's conditions is that at least 20% of its resources be allocated to Indigenous Peoples or to projects that benefit them.
Brazil's Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Sonia Guajajara, said: "The TFFF boldly and fairly recognizes the vital role of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities in protecting forests. Ensuring that at least 20% of resources go directly to these custodians is a historic achievement and a decisive step towards equality and recognition of ancestral knowledge." On the one hand, 20% is a good first step, but on the other, it is only 20% for those for whom forest protection is a vital priority.
CS delegation Camila Romero (Quechua) and Polina Shulbaeva (Selkup) with H. E. Noura Hamladji, Deputy Executive Secretary UNFCCC.
On Tuesday, November 18, the International Indigenous Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) held an action in the official negotiation area (Blue Zone), where Indigenous delegates voiced their demands for the right to manage their lands, territories, waters, and resources, the need to urgently reduce and stop deforestation, increase action programs in the field of biodiversity conservation and restoration, and improve environmental sustainability to combat climate change. Participants in the action also cited examples of increased pressure on Indigenous human rights defenders protecting their lands, their criminalization, abductions, and murders. Emphasis was placed on the need to provide direct access to funding for actions and goals determined by Indigenous Peoples themselves, as well as the application of minimum legal standards enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international obligations in the field of Indigenous Peoples' rights.
Throughout the second week, the Cultural Survival team conducted advocacy work, both in the official Blue Zone during negotiations and at side events, including high-level talks, as well as outside of these events, through meetings with Brazilian Indigenous Leaders. We met and spoke at high-level side events, conducting advocacy work aimed at promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially in Brazil.
Camila Romero (Quechua) with Mr. Aloisio Lopes Pereira Melo, National Secretary for Climate Change at Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
At the UNFCCC Pavilion, Camila Romero (Quechua), Cultural Survival Keepers of the Earth Fund Associate, shared her reflections on the panel ‘The Future of Multilateralism and Climate Governance’ organized by Climate Emergency Collaboration. The high-level panel discussed how global climate cooperation needs to change to meet today’s challenges. Camila highlighted the role of Indigenous youth shaping the climate agenda and the importance of advancing direct mechanisms of participation for Indigenous Peoples at the UNFCCC. It was also an opportunity to share the advocacy briefing with representatives from the Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
One of the meetings was a discussion of the pollution of the Catete River (the state hosting COP 30) and its impact on the Xikrin Indigenous Peoples led by Edson Krenak (Krenak), Cultural Survival Brazil Special Project Manager, which is one of the most serious ongoing humanitarian, socio-environmental, and ethnocultural crises in the southeastern region of the state of Pará. This situation has been the subject of public civil lawsuits filed by the Federal Prosecutor's Office (FPP) against the mining company Vale S.A., the Federal Government, and the State of Pará for damages caused to the Shikrin do Catete Indigenous Peoples. The resolution of this conflict must include, in addition to Vale SA's official and public acknowledgment of responsibility for environmental pollution and damage to the health of Indigenous People, the creation of appropriate conditions for remedying the damage caused, restoring the environment, providing medical support, appropriate financial compensation, and infrastructure development.
Cultural Survival staff members co-organized and participated in several side events with the SIRGE Coalition dedicated to uplifting the voices of Indigenous Peoples’ struggles in their territories due to the extraction of the so-called “critical” minerals in the transition to a green economy.
From the Arctic to Australia, North America, and Brazil, Indigenous Peoples denounced the violation of their rights and the environmental destruction that mining companies are causing, without effective consultation or respect to their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent. They demanded that corporations and states stop turning their territories into sacrifice zones. The transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy shouldn’t happen at the expense of Indigenous Peoples’ lives and rights, as well as the rights of Nature.
Members of the SIRGE Coalition at a side event.
Sara Olsvig (Saami), Bryan Bixcul (Maya Tzʼutujil), and CS delegation: Mariana Kiimi Ortiz (Ñuu Savi/Mixtec), Djalma Ramalho (Aranã Caboclo), and Edson Krenak (Krenak)
Cultural Survival launched the report “The Price of Green: Lithium, Ore and Grain Corridors, and Brazil’s Sacrifice Zones Built without Free, Prior and Informed Consent” at COP do Povo, an alternative space for Indigenous Peoples and civil society to discuss and reflect together on their struggles with the effects of climate change. The text presented case studies of the violation of Indigenous and Quilombola Peoples’ rights under the discourse of energy transition and development such as Sigma Lithium’s Grota do Cirilo complex in the Jequitinhonha Valley and the FICO railway in the Cerrado, revealing how these ventures reconfigure territories, lived bodies and modes of existence in the face of the expansion of mining, agri-business and large-scale infrastructure projects.
CS delegation: Alicia Moncada (Wayuu), Djalma Ramalho (Aranã Caboclo), Edson Krenak (Krenak), Aimee Roberson (Choctaw and Chickasaw),
During the advocacy brief launch, Djalma Ramalho (Aranã Caboclo), Cultural Survival Campaigner for Brazil, performed a ceremonial artivist action that made visible the reality of Indigenous People across Brazil and beyond that suffer the impacts on their rights and the rights of nature of the lithium mining.
At COP30, we shared the advocacy brief with UN Special Rapporteurs and Brazil’s Minister for Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara. Our goal was clear: to ensure that evidence-based recommendations amplify and reinforce the demands being voiced by Indigenous Peoples present at COP30. There cannot be a just transition if it is built on the violation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
It is impossible not to mention the fire that literally broke out in the COP30 negotiation area – it was indicative of the situation in the negotiation process on key issues. The fire broke out in the Pavilion Zone (official Blue Zone of negotiation), and this is not a figurative expression, but a literal one. Based on the videos published on the internet, the plastic ceiling caught fire instantly. Within seconds, the fire had spread several meters, causing shock and panic among the delegates in the area. Participants in both the Green and Blue Zones were evacuated. The massive queue to exit led to a crowd of people, and those at the back pushed those at the front, wanting to leave the unsafe place.
According to an official letter from the UNFCCC, “The fire was contained in approximately six minutes. People were safely evacuated. Thirteen people received medical attention on site for smoke inhalation and were given the necessary medical care. The Blue Zone was temporarily closed while the fire department conducted a comprehensive safety assessment.”
On Friday, November 21, the last official day of negotiations, negotiations began as planned, except that the Official Zone of Pavilions was completely closed to visitors. In the middle of the day, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) held a press conference to remind participating Parties of their obligations and reflect on the leading positions of Indigenous Peoples on the documents under discussion.
Read the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change's closing statement.
