Indigenous Demands Drive COP30 in Belém as Brazil Touts Demarcations and a Direct Forest Fund

Overview

• Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples reports 16 land homologations under Lula’s government and signals further demarcations, with TI Kaxuyana-Tunayana expected as early as April if procedures allow.
• The government-presented Tropical Forests Forever Fund pledges to route 20% of resources directly to Indigenous peoples, though detailed governance and distribution rules remain under development.
• Ministers and Indigenous leaders press UN negotiators to recognize land recognition as climate policy, citing evidence that demarcated territories face fewer invasions, less deforestation and lower CO2 emissions.
• Participation is unprecedented, with about 5,000 Indigenous people in Belém, roughly 400 accredited in the Blue Zone and thousands more based in the Aldeia COP and the Cúpula dos Povos parallel forum.
• Security tightened after protesters, including PSOL activists, forced entry into the UN Blue Zone, damaging doors and X-ray equipment and injuring four guards as ministers condemned the violence and underscored inclusive rules-based engagement.