The representative authorities of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (AGCT) advanced towards an effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in climate and conservation mechanisms during their tour in Washington D.C., United States.
From July 17-23, a delegation from the AGCT held meetings with U.S. government authorities, including Jonathan Pershing, Senior Advisor to the Biden Administration's Special Envoy for Climate Change, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs, as well as non-governmental organizations and strategic allies. Their goal: to advance a vision of "Nature and Community-Based Solutions" that leverages the work already being done by communities for the benefit of all humanity as partners, not beneficiaries.
To achieve this vision, it is necessary to guarantee direct territorial funding; protection of leaders from criminalization and assassinations; rights over territories; Free Prior and Informed Consent; and respect for ancestral knowledge. Furthermore, in the current context, the urgent support of the international community in the vaccination and containment efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic is vital to ensure the survival of the communities, which is necessary for the survival of Mother Earth.
The AGCT presented its priorities and expressed its willingness to contribute to the creation of new forms of relationship for the benefit of new programs, as well as existing ones. As a result, preliminary topics for joint work and technical liaisons were established, which will follow up on the territorial proposals.
"We came all the way to the United States to tell those who are managing climate and conservation programs that it is time for them to actively include us in the construction and execution of their plans. Without us, our forests and our communities, it is not possible to achieve the goals the world has set for itself. Indigenous peoples and local communities are clearly seeing that humanity is against the clock, but we come to put our knowledge and territories at the service of all," said Tuntiak Katan, Coordinator of the AGCT.
La comitiva incluyó a Tuntiak Katan, Coordinador de la AGCT; Gregorio Mirabal Coordinador General de la Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA); Levi Sucre, Coordinador de la Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques (AMPB); Sara Omi, del espacio de coordinación de mujeres de la AGCT y Presidenta de la Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica; Juan Carlos Jintiach, Co Presidente del Caucus Indígena Global de Naciones Unidas, y Asesor técnico en políticas internacionales, cambio climático y biodiversidad de pueblos indígenas de la COICA.
"Indigenous and local women are suffering first-hand the consequences of climate change, but we are also the key to fighting it. We made it very clear on this tour that women and youth have to be part of these mechanisms so that they have effective results on the ground," said Sara Omi, of the AGCT women's coordination space and President of the Mesoamerican Coordinating Committee of Territorial Women Leaders.
About the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities
La Alianza Global de Comunidades Territoriales es una coalición de comunidades indígenas y locales de la Cuenca Amazónica, Brasil, Indonesia y Mesoamérica. Juntos representamos a 35 millones de pueblos forestales en 18 países, y de 800 millones de hectáreas de bosques. Cuatro organizaciones territoriales conforman nuestra alianza: La Coordinadora de Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA), la Articulación de los Pueblos Indígenas de Brasil (APIB), la Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques (AMPB) y la Alianza de Pueblos Indígenas del Archipiélago (AMAN).
