How do indigenous people see hosting 2025 COP in Amazon?

Upon his arrival at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Brazilian President Lula di Silva offered to host the UN climate change conference in 2025 in the Amazon, a move that has been seen as “important” by some Latin American indigenous people participating in COP27.

At the Brazilian Pavilion, Di Silva announced on Wednesday that he will talk with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about hosting COP30 in 2025, AFP reported. “It has to be in Amazon,” he said.

Several indigenous people from different countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia and elsewhere made it to Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, calling for fair representation at the COP meetings and for direct access to finance for mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts. Some of them see COP conferences as being quite important to them, considering it a good opportunity to get to know each other around the globe since they share a unified case.

“It is very important to host this kind an event in Brazil, because we have never received a COP before. So, it is so important to be there in Amazon,” since listening to indigenous people makes the world see and know more about indigenous issues, communities and opinions, Vanda Witoto from Brazil’s Manaus city told Jusoor Post.

Vanda, who represents her ethnic group “Witoto”, which is associated with the spirit of the ant, expressed her excitement for the Brazilian leader’s offer to host such a big conference.

Angelica Pones Chambi from the Kechua nation in Bolivia, leader of the Rights of Mother Earth, told Jusoor Post that her country supported Di Silva’s speech.

“It is quite important that the indigenous people are taken into account, and Bolivia is a benchmark in recognizing cultures,” she said, adding that “the Brazilian proposal will be to strengthen the indigenous people.”

Commenting on the feasibility of hosting the COP in the Amazon area, Marta M. DeVito, CEO and Change Maker at B Global, an online community for connecting individuals and institutions around the globe with each other, told Jusoor Post that it is possible and it should be discussed within the Amazon.

“People think we have only forests, but we have the capital Amazon, we have cities, Amazona state. We have the state of Mato Grosso, which is one of the states that are part of the Amazon. The size of Mato Grosso has the same size as Germany,” she said.

“Brazil has 60 percent of the Amazon. We have the logistics to host the COP,” she continued.

DeVito added that there would be great participation of indigenous people in the COP discussions.

“They want to lead and they want their own protagonists. They have the freedom to decide,” she said.