Representative authorities of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC) advanced towards an effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in climate and conservation mechanisms, during a political mission in Washington D.C., United States.
From July 17 to 23, a delegation from the GATC held meetings with US government authorities; including Jonathan Pershing, Senior Advisor to the Biden Administration’s Special President Envoy for Climate, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs; as well as non-governmental organizations and strategic allies. The aim is to promote a “Community and Nature Based Solutions” approach to scale up the work that communities are already doing for the benefit of all humanity, acting like partners, and not beneficiaries.
To achieve this vision, it is necessary to guarantee direct territorial financing; the protection of male and female leaders against criminalization and murders; rights over territories; Free, Prior and Informed Consent; and respect for ancestral knowledge. In addition, 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, necessary for the survival of Mother Earth.
The Global Alliance presented its priorities and expressed its willingness to contribute to creating new forms of relationships, for the benefit of new programs, as well as existing ones. As a result, preliminary topics for joint work and technical staff were established, which will follow up on territorial proposals.
“We came to the United States to tell those who manage 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 meet the goals set internationally. Indigenous peoples and local communities are clearly seeing that humanity is running against the clock, but we have come to put our knowledge and territories at the service of everyone ”, said Tuntiak Katan, Coordinator of the GATC.
The delegation was formed by Tuntiak Katan, General Coordinator of the GATC; Gregorio Mirabal, General Coordinator of the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA); Levi Sucre, Coordinator of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB); Sara Omi, from the GATC’s Women’s Coordination Space and President of the Coordinator of Territorial Women Leaders of Mesoamerica; Juan Carlos Jintiach, Co-President of the United Nations Global Indigenous Caucus, and COICA technical advisor on international policies, climate change and biodiversity of indigenous peoples.
“Indigenous and local women are suffering beforehand the consequences of climate change, but we are also the key in tackling it. We made it very clear on this tour that women and youth need to be part of these mechanisms so that they have effective results on the ground”, said Sara Omi, from the GATC Women’s Coordination Space and President of the Coordinator of Women Territorial Leaders of Mesoamerica.
About the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities
The Global Alliance of Territorial Communities is a coalition of Indigenous and local communities of the Amazon Basin, Brazil, Indonesia and Mesoamerica. Together we represent more than 35 million people among forest territories in 18 countries, and protect more than 840 million hectares of tropical forests. Four territorial organizations make up our alliance: The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), the Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB) and the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN).
