Sonia Guajajara tells Cop30 the rights of traditional communities must be maintained in the face of exploitation by the mining industry
Countries must recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as a key component of tackling the climate crisis, and civil society must help in the defence of such lands against mining interests, Brazil’s minister for Indigenous peoples has said.
Sonia Guajajara, a longtime Indigenous activist before being appointed a minister by President Lula da Silva, said: “[Among the goals of the Cop30 summit is] a request that countries recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as climate policy.”
At Cop30 she put faith in the debates taking place within traditional communities, Afro-descendants, family farmers and Indigenous peoples. This, she said, “can generate recommendations for the final text of this conference”. The idea would be that this is then picked up as a theme for future Cops.
Guajajara was speaking to the Guardian before peaceful protests outside the conference centre in Belém on Friday morning by Indigenous people brought the Cop30 talks to a brief halt. Protesters gathered outside the entrance, peacefully blocking the way for delegates. After only about two hours of mild disruption, though with a heavy police and military presence, during which delegates had to use a side entrance, entry to the conference resumed as normal.
