MEETING IN BELÉM
Traditional Peoples from Brazil and Abroad Demand Protagonism in COP30 and the Fight Against Climate Change
Over 70 Organizations Gather in Belém to Reaffirm the Protagonism of Amazonian Peoples
May 31, 2025, 3:03 PM
Updated June 24, 2025, 2:11 PM
Belém (Pará)
Mariana Castro
Over 70 organizations gather in Belém to reaffirm the protagonism of Amazonian peoples – Photo: Caetano Scannavino
On Friday (May 30), representatives of more than 70 popular movements, organizations, and traditional peoples from 13 countries gathered in a political action held in Belém, where it was officially announced that the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) will serve as the central venue for the People’s Summit discussions during COP30. The event emphasizes the demand that Amazonian peoples be the true protagonists of the climate struggle, through listening, dialogue, and the proposal of public policies that consider traditional knowledge and lived experiences.
Under the theme “From the Amazon to the World: Climate Justice Now!”, peoples from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe proclaim: there is no solution to the climate crisis that does not originate with and involve Indigenous and traditional peoples.
Representing Indigenous peoples of Brazil, Auricélia Arapiun, an Indigenous leader from Baixo Tapajós (PA) and member of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), participated in the event.
“The answer is us, who have long been saying that we have the solution. If they had the solution, we would not be heading toward the end of the world, as we are today. On the contrary, at every COP the situation only worsens because we are not inside, we are not heard, and we will not be,” emphasized Auricélia.
During her speech, Auricélia strongly highlighted regressive actions by the National Congress, such as the approval of Bill 2159/2021, popularly known as the “Devastation Bill,” which establishes a new framework for environmental licensing in Brazil to the detriment of traditional peoples’ rights.
“What kind of COP30 do we want for Brazil if the National Congress is attacking our territories, attacking the environment, if the Devastation Bill is advancing, destroying our lands? Have they approved the regressive bill on Indigenous land demarcation? It is unacceptable that we are heading in this direction while Brazil and the Pará government position themselves as leaders in tackling the climate crisis,” Auricélia denounced.
The launch of the People’s Summit territory marks the UFPA public space to reaffirm ancestral, community, and popular practices as concrete and viable paths to address the climate crisis with social justice.
“This Summit plays a fundamental role in popularizing and involving the people, placing them at the center of debates, engaging them in the climate discussion, and proposing—through their concrete and real practices—the transformation of this world that belongs to everyone. And we are saying that popular participation is necessary, so that COP, the Summit, and the Brazilian government demonstrate, in fact, a commitment to change,” explained Pablo Neri, from the national leadership of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST).
People’s Summit Goes Beyond COP30
The event is part of a four-day agenda that consolidates collective strategies for the main event in November, when the Summit expects to gather around 15,000 people in Belém for an extensive program, including the participation of over 700 organizations and social networks.
However, organizations emphasize that COP30 does not conclude the collective construction of the People’s Summit, which goes beyond pre-determined calendars and aims to be a space ensuring ongoing and internationalist dialogue and struggle in defense of the Amazon, its peoples, and territories.
As part of the internationalist delegation, Sophie Ogutu, from Nairobi, Kenya, and member of the International Committee of the World March of Women, emphasized the importance of this space dedicated to the peoples.
“Solutions for the world will never come with a pen stroke. We are here, and we have the solutions. I am very grateful to be here at the University of Pará, in this space that was given to us. And look, back in Kenya, everyone says that of all the COPs, they would most like to be at this one in Brazil, because here we have a voice, here you make space for everyone,” assured Sophie.
Firmly, Denisse Chavez highlights women’s protagonism in the struggle for climate justice. Photo: Thaigon Arapiun
From Peru, activist and feminist Denisse Chavez, from the group Mujeres y Cambio Climático (GIMCC), reiterates that the struggle for climate justice is inseparable from the fight for justice in all its forms.
“We continue this struggle and will persist to leave a better world for our daughters and granddaughters. And we will only achieve this by demanding climate justice, gender justice, and environmental justice for all men, women, and diverse communities,” she emphasized.
People’s Summit
Since 1992, the People’s Summit has been a cry for resistance and justice through an autonomous space where communities most affected by the climate crisis—such as Indigenous peoples, quilombolas, traditional communities, and urban periphery residents—join forces to amplify their voices and demands.
In November 2025, Brazil will host the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30). In this context, over 700 organizations, networks, and collectives have joined to build a broad mobilization process so that COP in Brazil becomes a turning point in climate crisis discussions.
Edited by: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
Reproduction from Brasil de Fato
