As COP30 approaches in Belém, at the heart of the Amazon, Indigenous leaders have issued a powerful message to the world: climate justice cannot exist without Indigenous justice.

This is the Political Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples, a bold call to action from the guardians of the Amazon Basin and Brazil’s diverse biomes. It is not just words on paper. It is a blueprint for humanity’s survival.

Indigenous Peoples are not asking politely; they are insisting on what is just and necessary:

Territory protected, now and forever. All Indigenous lands must be recognised, demarcated and safeguarded from extraction and destruction, especially for Peoples in Voluntary Isolation.

A seat at the table. Indigenous voices must shape every level of decision-making, nationally and globally. No climate policies should be decided without them.

Direct access to climate finance. Funding must flow straight to Indigenous-led organisations, ensuring autonomy and impact where it matters most.

An end to false solutions. Exploitation dressed as “development” must give way to community-led, renewable, and regenerative pathways.

The Amazon is close to a tipping point. Deforestation, fires, and extractive industries are pushing the world’s largest rainforest and the global climate systemto collapse. Yet Indigenous Peoples, who make up less than 5% of the global population, protect 80% of remaining biodiversity.

The Declaration is clear: without Indigenous stewardship, there is no future.

For the first time in history, the world’s most important climate conference will take place in the Amazon. COP30 will be hosted in Belém, a city on the banks of the great river, at the heart of Indigenous territory. This moment matters. The Amazon is one of the most critical ecosystems on Earth, regulating weather patterns, absorbing carbon, and sheltering extraordinary biodiversity. Its health is directly linked to the health of our planet.

Holding the summit in Belém places decision-makers in the very landscape where the consequences of climate change are already unfolding. The Amazon is under immense pressure from deforestation, mining, and industrial agriculture. Decisions made here will echo far beyond Brazil, shaping the future of the forest and, with it, our collective climate security.

Equally significant is the leadership of Indigenous Peoples. For generations they have been guardians of the land, preserving biodiversity and protecting the forest despite enormous challenges. The Belém Declaration calls for their role to be recognised not as side participants, but as central protagonists in climate action. Their voices and knowledge are indispensable if we are to safeguard the Amazon and confront the climate crisis.

With COP30 in the Amazon, the global conversation on climate is grounded in the forest that is central to our planet’s survival.

The Indigenous Declaration speaks for all of us. It shows that true sustainability depends on sovereignty, and that the guardians who have cared for the Earth for millennia must lead the way forward.

Stand with the Indigenous Declaration. Amplify it. Share it. Support Indigenous leadership. Because protecting their rights means protecting our shared future.

Read the whole Declaration and show your support here.