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, and ancestral knowledge.
This morning, the Guajará River became a mirror of a possible world: where the sound of engines merged with Indigenous songs, and where the struggle moves with the gentleness of the waters — guided by those like Chief Raoni, who never tire of rowing in defense of life.
But the collective struggle does not end here. The Barqueata marked only the beginning of a long discussion about how to halt the imminent catastrophe of the climate crisis. Chief Raoni’s lesson reminds us that there is no Planet B — and that we must unite urgently, regardless of race, color, creed, or socioeconomic condition.
The program continues with the preparation of the letter, the global march, and the “Banquet for All”
The program continues this Thursday (13) with several events focused on finding solutions to the climate crisis. Over the next two days, plenaries will be held to draft the Political Letter of the Summit, which will be delivered to the President of COP30, André Corrêa do Lago, and submitted to the decision-makers involved in the Climate Conferences.
On November 15, the Global March for Climate Justice Now will take place — the second major moment of social mobilization outside the Summit venue, which is being held at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). At least 15,000 people are expected to take to the streets of the COP host city.
On November 16, the closing event will be the “Banquet for All”, an important political action meant to spark debate about everyone’s right to quality food — free from pesticides, produced through models that respect nature’s cycles, and that guarantee diversity and life in the territories.
Picture:AG.EficazPress/Vera Lima