To the Distinguished Delegates of COP30
The open letter addressed to the COP30 delegates emphasizes the crucial role played by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, and local communities in protecting forests and maintaining global climate stability. Scientific evidence consistently shows that territories collectively managed by these communities experience significantly lower rates of deforestation and forest degradation. Therefore, the letter asserts that the formal recognition of indigenous land rights, support for community-based conservation, and the fulfillment of the right to self-determination are absolute prerequisites that must be met.
To this end, the delegates are urged to integrate four key priorities into the COP30 outcomes: strengthening collective land rights, enforcing laws to halt violence against environmental defenders, and providing direct and predictable access to climate finance for these community organizations. Furthermore, the systematic integration of human rights into climate policies is vital, as the protection of people and indigenous territories is completely inseparable from the protection of the planet.
