During the Barqueata, Chief Raoni calls for unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in defense of the Amazon
River march opens the Peoples’ Summit towards COP 30 in Belém to show the world that the response to the climate crisis lies in living and free territories Belém (PA), November 12, 2025 — The sun rose over the waters of the Guajará River, reflecting the colors of hundreds of boats that gradually formed a powerful movement of resistance, life, and courage. More than five thousand people from 62 countries sailed together in the Barqueata of the Peoples’ Summit, a major political and symbolic act meant to affirm to the world that the future is born from the waters, the forests, and the communities that care for the Earth. Among the paddles and songs that echoed across the river, the barqueata featured the presence of the legendary Chief Raoni Metuktire. Accompanied by his nephews Megaron Txucarramãe, Kokonã Metuktire, and Iamut Metuktire, he brought the weight of ancestry and the strength of the wisdom of Indigenous peoples to the Caravan of the Response — a mobilization that traveled the rivers from Santarém to Belém to oppose the Ferrogrão project, a grain transport corridor serving an economic model based on corporate-driven infrastructure. With firmness and serenity, Raoni spoke to the press about the need for unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples so that peace and mutual respect may guide the planet toward harmony. Raoni denounced the advance of deforestation, the expansion of soy cultivation in Mato Grosso, and the risks posed by railway and oil exploration projects in Indigenous lands. “If they continue doing these bad things, we will all face problems — but Indigenous peoples will suffer first,” he warned. Still, his words were also a call for hope, for peaceful coexistence, for listening among differences, and for protecting nature as a shared duty of humanity. The Chief, who has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, also emphasized the need for dialogue and cooperation among cultures as the basis for building fair and inclusive environmental policies. “I don’t want conflict between Indigenous and white people. We must solve things together, with respect and balance.” He expressed concern over the growing deforestation of Indigenous lands and highlighted the importance of preserving the forest for the planet’s balance. “We must take care of our forest, which is like the world’s breath. We cannot continue with deforestation, because if it continues, our grandchildren will face problems.” Raoni also spoke of the respect he receives during his international travels, where he often engages with representatives from other countries about the reality of Indigenous peoples. “When I travel abroad, no one offers me money in exchange for the wealth of my territory. What I ask is that they respect and help ensure the preservation of our lands,” declared the Indigenous leader. International solidarity During the press conference, Kirtana Chandrasekaran, from the Political Commission of the Peoples’ Summit and member of Friends of the Earth International, highlighted that beyond the 10,000 people mobilizing in defense of the Amazon and against the climate crisis in Belém (PA), millions more are also mobilizing globally. “These are people standing behind us, in our territories, who have been with us, building this process for more than two years, and who will continue in all regions, in all countries.” According to Kirtana, “We must confront the crisis of capitalism, which offers no solutions to the climate and inequality crises, nor to the crisis facing workers amid economies and politics of war and death. We represent life.” When asked why so many people are mobilizing for the Peoples’ Summit, she was emphatic: “In the face of war and the planet’s destruction, we mobilize and humanize life. Here we are building an international, global alliance of solidarity among movements that can confront corporate power, challenge right-wing politics, and propose solutions and responses for people who are disillusioned.” The demands raised by the peoples at this Summit are connected, for example, to agroecology and to the right to remain in their territories with ancestral cultures of coexistence with diverse biomes. “Agrobusiness doesn’t put food on people’s plates. Our answer is agroecology, not soy. It’s returning the land to Indigenous peoples. The answers come from the peoples, and we will build them over the next six days.” In addition to calling for energy and food sovereignty, and opposing green colonialism and the false solutions perpetuated by laws and governments, Kirtana recalled that movements are also mobilizing within the Council of Nations to end apartheid, colonization, corporate domination, and the militarization of life. “We are here to represent the convergence of peoples confronting the power of transnational corporations and demanding respect for human rights policies. And we are building that power here in the Council of Nations. Freedom for the Palestinian people! Freedom without oil, and an end to wars!” she emphasized. Cleidiane Vieira, from the Political Commission of the Summit and member of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB), also spoke about the importance of the collective process that has built the Peoples’ Summit since 2023. She recalled that the idea was first conceived in Belém during the Amazon Presidents’ Summit, when President Lula presented the city’s candidacy to host COP30. “For us, it is deeply symbolic to open the Peoples’ Summit with this moment we call the Barqueata. Why is it so symbolic? Because we live in the Amazon, and this is not only forest — it is forest, it is river, and it is peoples, above all. That’s why it means so much to us,” she said, recalling that it is from these places that communities draw their sustenance. River of announcement and denunciation The Barqueata, which covered about 4.5 nautical miles departing from ports near the Federal University of Pará, turned the river into a stage of both denunciation and celebration. Banners and posters raised above the boats reminded that the true responses to the climate crisis come from the peoples of the waters, the forests, and the peripheries — those who resist with collective, agroecological,
The officialization of the peoples’ struggle and the emergence of a great global movement
The central point of the agenda on the 5th day of the IV International Movement of Communities Affected by Dams and Climate Crisis is the officialization and presentation of the consolidation of this articulation, which unites the grassroots of MAR and MAB and mobilizes organizations and their leaders from 42 countries across 5 continents. The day represents a strategic leap in the struggle. The formalization of the global movement not only unifies tactics of resistance against mega-projects across different continents, but also brings the themes of full reparation and territorial sovereignty to the forefront as non-negotiable demands in international arenas such as the Peoples’ Summit. This unity is the popular response to the transnational operations of corporations and predatory development models that exploit water, energy, and life on a planetary scale. The day is dedicated to systematizing struggles and forging unity of action within the International Movement of the Affected, with a focus on supply and the sovereignty of peoples. Program for 11/11: Construction and Strengthening 9 a.m. – Report of group work on the struggles and resistance of the affected: Systematization of complaints and resistance strategies from 42 countries, serving as the foundation for the finalization of the Political Charter. 3 p.m. – Presentation of the construction of the International Movement – Meeting with CONAB: Debate on strategy and next steps for the consolidation of global unity of action, with the participation of CONAB representatives to discuss the company’s role in food security and supply. 8 p.m. – Gathering and night of strengthening the transformative struggle: Closing of the cycle of debates, preparing the groundwork for the transition to the Peoples’ Summit. Panel Highlight The afternoon debate will feature representatives from the National Supply Company (CONAB), emphasizing the link between the struggle for land, water, and food production in the context of the climate crisis. Present will be CONAB’s Regional Superintendent in Pará, Rosanna Costa; CONAB Brazil’s Director of Operations and Supply, Arnoldo Campos; and CONAB Brazil’s Communications Advisor, Karine Fernandes. Transition to the Peoples’ Summit (11/12) The activities will culminate on Wednesday (12) with the Barqueata on the Guamá River (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), the first major popular act marking the opening of the Peoples’ Summit at COP30. Picture:Joyce Silva_MAB
*Boat Parade at Peoples’ Summit brings over two hundred vessels to Baía do Guajará*
Press conference: register here – [https://forms.gle/coAArY8AukKr8GyFA] (https://forms.gle/coAArY8AukKr8GyFA) About five thousand people from sixty countries are expected to travel the rivers surrounding the COP30 host city in a grand political act on the water. One of the vessels will carry leaders such as Raoni in the “Caravan of the Response”. Belém (PA) — On the next 12 November, starting at 9 a.m., more than two hundred boats carrying around five thousand participants will gather at Baía do Guajará, off the coast of the capital of Pará, in one of the most symbolic moments of the Peoples’ Summit, a side event to COP30. The boat parade will bring together caravans that departed from other municipalities, states and countries to denounce false climate solutions and announce that the answer to a sustainable world is the people of the waters, forests and peripheries who resist with their collective, agroecological and ancestral practices. The parade will begin at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), site of the Peoples’ Summit, and will follow the Guamá river which then becomes the Guajará river to reach the Vila da Barca, an area of stilt-houses that is a social enclave, because part of the housing lives without any sanitation. These communities have decades of resistance to real-estate speculation and lack of public attention. In preparation for the city’s hosting of COP30, the Vila da Barca was to receive a sewage treatment station in a middle-class neighbourhood embellished in recent months to form a tourist landscape. Thus, the area became an example of the contradictions of conferences that make misguided decisions, ignoring those most impacted by extreme weather events. These contradictions will be displayed in banners and posters adorning large and small boats across a route of seven nautical miles. The expectation is to depart from four ports near the UFPA and sail for about two hours, a timeframe that takes into account the tide strength. “We are aligned and we believe this is going to be historic!”, says Iury Paulino, member of the Peoples’ Summit Political Commission and coordinator of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB). The damming of rivers is among the corporate infrastructures denounced for causing impacts that increasingly contribute to the climate crisis — shifting water courses, sedimentation, species extinction, flooding of once-forest areas and expulsion of guardians of preservation practices. These impacts are also faced by fishers who maintain a historic cultural relationship with the sea. River-dwellers and fishers worldwide suffer directly from contamination of rivers and coastal zones caused by mineral exploitation and chemical spills. In Brazil, dam failures by Vale in Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019) caused hundreds of deaths, destruction of communities and severe environmental damage, contaminating rivers and ecosystems. In Ecuador, the SOTE oil-pipeline failure, operated by a state company, spilled oil into the Esmeraldas River in March 2025, dumping more than 25 000 barrels of crude, contaminating drinking water, rivers and coastal communities. Therefore, movements and organisations of the Peoples’ Summit unite to let their voices echo over the waters, denouncing COP decisions that sustain this model of territorial exploitation. And against corporations that dominate decision spaces in the Conferences to block more ambitious goals of natural-resource protection, mitigation and damage repair in the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), which are each country’s commitments to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to climate change under the Paris Agreement. Raoni – Among the boats confirmed for the parade is the Caravan of the Response, a mobilisation travelling more than 3 000 kilometres between Sinop (MT) and Belém (PA) with over 300 indigenous, river-dwelling, quilombola and peasant leaders. With support from the Peoples’ Summit, the mobilisation organised by the Alliance End Soy reached out from Santarém on Sunday, 9 November. The caravan retraces the so-called “soy corridor”, denouncing impacts of agribusiness and major infrastructure works — such as Ferrogrão and the Northern-Arc waterways — on territories and traditional livelihoods. Ferrogrão is a planned 933-km railway linking Sinop (MT) to Miritituba (PA) to transport grains, mainly soy and corn, from Brazil’s Midwest via the Northern Arc. But its execution threatens conservation units, indigenous lands and intensifies deforestation in the Amazon. During the act, historic leaders of the indigenous struggle in Brazil are set to board, such as chief Raoni Metuktire, leader Alessandra Korap Munduruku and representatives of the Kayapó, Panará, Borari, Tupinambá, Xipaya, Arapiun, Huni Kuin and Kayabi peoples, among others. Their presence symbolises the link between the peoples of the Xingu and Tapajós regions, where the advance of soy and export infrastructure has caused environmental destruction and human-rights abuses. “Peoples are the response” Pedro Charbel, of the Alliance End Soy, said the caravan embodies what the movement calls denunciation and announcement. “Our struggle is against these corporate ports, against the waterways and against Ferrogrão, but we also have the answer. The answer is agroecology, it is good food without poison, it is solidarity with people, it is solidarity kitchens, it is giving free food because food is a right, not a commodity. The answer is infrastructure that comes from the people and not the one that benefits agribusiness billionaires. The answer is living territories, demarcated lands, forest standing and clean river, with healthy fish — not the river contaminated with mercury and soy.” The Peoples’ Summit, which brings together over 1 200 movements, organisations and networks from Brazil and abroad, emphasises that the boat parade represents the spirit of the conference. “It is not just an act, it is a fluvial manifesto. The waters of the Amazon are bringing voices the world needs to hear: those of people defending life, territories and climate,” says Lider Gongora, member of the Peoples’ Summit Political Commission, Ecuadorian activist, delegate of the Mangrove and Sea Peoples (World Forum of Fisher Peoples – WFFP). “When the peoples of various regions sail together, the world must stop to listen. This is a global message: the peoples who protect the forest, the rivers, the sea and the mangrove are the most concrete and courageous response to the climate
Organizations
1.100 organizações | organizaciones | organizations 350.org 5 Elementos Instituto de Educação para Sustentabilidade A Feel for Justice A Growing Culture A Sud A Vida no Cerrado – AVINC A wisdom keeper delegation Abaça Caiango Macuajô Santo Antônio Ação da Cidadania – Comitê Pará Ação Social Franciscana – SEFRAS Acção Florestal ACE Observatory Acuerdo Alegria ZeyZey SLP Sustaintabililty Leardership Platform Adéquations Afoxé Filhos de Angola African Coalition on Green Growth Afronte! – Movimento de Juventude AGAPAN – ASSOCIAÇÃO GAÚCHA DE PROTEÇÃO AO AMBIENTE NATURAL Agência Amazônia Real Agência Amazônia Real de Jornalismo Independente Agência Brasil Agência Cuíca AGENCIA NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SOCIOECONOMICO – ANADES Agenda Nacional Pelo Desencarceramento Agroecology for All Aîbaibu Kayawai – Mulheres que Curam Aid/Watch – Australia AJESH ALDEIA INAJÁ Aliança Amazônia Clima ALL1.eco Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa – AFSA Alter do Chão Centro de Reflorestamento e Agrofloresta Amazônia ALTERNACTIVA – Acção pela Emancipação Social Alternative Information and Development Centre AMAGJOP Amakaba Amarantas Colectiva Feminista Antirracista Amazon Rebellion Amazônia de Pé Amazônia drone Pa (@amazôniaTake) Amigas da Terra Brasil Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira ANDES-SN APNS/ Núcleo de Mulheres Afrodescendentes Aprosmig Arquitetos pela Moradia Articulação Agro é Fogo Articulação Brasileira de Gays e Bissexuais – ARTGAY Articulação Brasileira pelos Direitos da Natureza Articulação de Movimentos e Práticas de Educação Popular em Saúde ANEPS Articulação de Mulheres Brasileiras – AMB Articulação de Mulheres do Amapá Articulação de Mulheres do Amazonas Articulação de Mulheres Negras Brasileiras Articulação de Mulheres Negras e Quilombolas do Tocantins – Alagbara Articulação de Organizações de Mulheres Negras Brasileiras – AMNB Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil – APIB Articulação Nacional das pescadoras Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia – ANA Articulação Nacional de Educação Popular em Saúde – ANEPS Articulação Nacional dos Coletivos Jovens de Meio Ambiente do Brasil Articulação Pacari Raizeiras do Cerrado Articulação para o Monitoramento dos Direitos Humanos no Brasil – AMDH Articulação Popular São Francisco Vivo Articulação Semiárido Brasileiro – ASA Artigo 19 Brasil e América do Sul ARTYC Aruanã Instituto Pan-Amazônico Àry GEA – Grupo de Estudios Ancestrales AS-PTA – Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia Asamblea de Vecinos Autoconvocados por el Agua de Mendoza. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development Asociación ciudadana por los derechos humanos Asociación de Servicios Comunitarios de Salud Asociación del pueblo Nasa Putumayo Kwe’sx Kxsa’w Asociación para el Desarrollo Indígena Social (ADIS) Assembleia Mundial da Amazônia – AMA Associação Agroecológica Tijupá Associação Alternativa Terrazul Associação Ambiental Mangueira Sustentável Associação Beneficente Gaviões da Vila Associação Bominfá Associação Brasileira de Comunidade Alterativas – ABRASCA Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais e Intersexos – ABGLT Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não Governamentais – ABONG Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social – ABRAPSO Associação Brasileira de Saúde Única – ABRASUNI Associação Brasileira dos Profissionais pelo Desenvolvimento Sustentável – ABRAPS Associação Ciganos Itinerantes do Rio Grande do Sul Associação Comercial Industrial Agrícola de Antas BA Associação Comunitária Baixa dos Quelés e Olho D’água do Albino Associação Comunitária da Enseada do Acaraí – ACEA Associação Comunitária da Pedra de Dentro Associação Comunitária do Moradores da Lavagem Grande Associação Comunitária dos Povos Ciganos do Condado Paraíba – ASCOCIC Associação comunitária Km18 e Alto Redondo Associação Cultural José Martí da Baixada Santista Associação Cultural Manoel Faustino Associação Cultural Palhaços Trovadores Associação da Cultura e Arte de Extremoz RN Associação das Mulheres Indígena Tikuna – AMIT Associação de Agroecologia de Vargem Grande – Agrovargem Associação de Apoio às Comunidades Amazônicas Associação de catadores filhos de Guadalupe Associação de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos e Meio Ambiente na Amazônia- ADHMA Associação de Defesa Etnoambiental Kanindé Associação de Desenvolvimento Rural do Município de Sítio do Quinto Associação de Educação Ambiental e Ecológica Arte de Reciclar – SEMEAR Associação de Educação Ambiental para Sustentabilidade e Literacia Climática Associação de Educação Cultura e Cidadania Associação de Educação Cultura e Cidadania – ADEC Associação de Gays e Amigos de Nova Iguaçu, Mesquita e Rio de Janeiro – AGANIM Associação de Mulheres jovens e Agricultores familiares da comunidade Quilombola de Lagoa dos Batatas Associação de Mulheres Koxerê Associação de Mulheres na Luta pelos seus Direitos, Defesa do Meio Ambiente e Povos da Floresta do Alto Solimões – AMMAFLORSOL Associação de Preservação Ambiental e Valorização da Vida – Ecoterra Associação de Preservação da Natureza – Vale do Gravataí APN-VG Associação de Preservação do Meio Ambiente e da Vida – Apremavi Associação de Remanescentes de Quilombo das Comunidades de Calados e Caranãzal Associação de Residência Cultural da Comunidade Quilombola Manzo Ngunzo Kaiango Associação de Silves pela Preservação Ambiental e Cultural – ASPAC Associação de Trabalhadoras Domésticas Tereza de Benguela Associação do Povo Arara da Terra Indígena Cachoeira Seca – KOWIT Associação dos Amigos das Florestas Associação dos artistas plásticos e artesãos de Salinópolis Associação dos Estudantes de Roraima – ASSOER Associação dos Haitianos em Belém do Pará Associação dos Jovens Indígenas Associação dos Movimentos de Moradia da Região Sudeste Associação dos Pequenos Produtores Rurais de Virgolândia, MG Associação dos Povos Indígenas da Terra Indígena São Marcos Associação dos Quilombos de Passe Associação dos Trabalhadores Rurais Deus é Amor Região da Taboca Associação Ecocultural Casa Jaya Associação Ecocultural dos Amigos dos Parques Marapendi e Chico Mendes Associação Espaço Urbano Associação Feminista de Estudo e Ação Política Zo’é Associação Good Truck Brasil Associação Grupo de Cultura Regional Iaçá – Pontão de Cultura do Pará Associação Indígena Apiaká IAKUNDA’Y de Pimental Sudoeste do Pará – AIAIP Associação indígena em Contexto Urbano Karaxuwanassu Associação Indígena em Contexto Urbano Karaxuwanassu – ASSICUKA Associação Intermunicipal Ambiental em Defesa do Rio Formate e Seus Afluentes – Asiarfa associação internacional maylê sara kali Associação Kapiwara Associação Kuya – Ponto de Cultura Associação Mãe das Associações da Resex Delta do Parnaíba – AmarDelta Associação Mãe dos Extrativistas da RESEX de Canavieiras (AMEX) Associação Maranhense para a Conservação da Natureza Associação Multiétnica Wyka Kwara Associação Nacional Cultural de Preservação do Patrimônio Bantu – ACBANTU Associação para a Gestão Socioambiental do Triângulo Mineiro Associação Pernambucana de Escoteiros Associação Potiguar Amigos da Natureza – ASPOAN Associação Profissional dos Sociólogos do Estado