DUBAI / AGILITYPR.NEWS / December 04, 2023 / As COP28 reaches its Indigenous Peoples’ Day (December 5^th), the Delegation of Brazil is proud to have, as its head, the Minister for the Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara. She has been in that role since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva departed Dubai on December 3^rd and will remain in it until the Minister for Environment and Climate, Marina Silva, arrives back in Dubai on December 7^th.

“Indigenous peoples are often the first to bear the harmful effects of climate change due to their proximity to nature and natural resources,” explains Minister Guajajara. “However, they are also ideally positioned to bring forward solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, so it is essential that their voice is heard”. “We must end deforestation in the Amazon to help solve the climate crisis and protect biodiversity. And we must do so with justice and human rights for the forest people for whom forests are home.”

Minister Sonia Guajajara’s team at COP28 include the Secretary of Indigenous Environmental and territorial Management, Ceiça Pitaguary, the Deputy Secretary for Articulation and Promotion of Indigenous Rights, Jozileia Kaingang, as well as the president of the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (FUNAI), Joenia Wapichana.

During the discussions at COP28, Minister Guajajara will highlight the vital importance for indigenous peoples of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC, as well as the importance of the demarcation of indigenous territories around the world. More than half of the indigenous peoples in Brazil live in the Amazon.

For any follow-up queries regarding Minister Sonia Guajajara’s participation in COP28, please contact the Press Office of the Ministry for the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (mpi.ascom@povosindigenas.gov.br).