BELÉM (PA) – The president of Brazil’s National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), Joenia Wapihana, said that the agency is preparing new land demarcation processes but decisions on official recognition are up to the Ministry of Justice and the Presidency. She said she “expects positive announcements at the COP,” including progress in processes already underway with the federal government.
In a statement released before the UN Climate Summit, Funai advocated demarcation as a core strategy to face the climate crisis, stressing that indigenous lands account for less than 3% of deforestation in the country and are “natural barriers” against environmental destruction.
“We are working [on demarcation] at Funai, regardless of the COP, but that decision depends on the Ministry of Justice and the Presidency,” Joenia said in an interview with Repórter Brasil at the COP’s Blue Zone, in Belém, this Monday (10). “There is indeed expectation that announcements will be made, not only of demarcation but also about other positive measures,” she added.
The statement comes at a time when indigenous organizations are pushing for the government to take concrete actions during the COP30, held in the city of Belém. According to a survey conducted by Coiab (the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations in the Brazilian Amazon), 29 indigenous lands already meet all technical and legal conditions to be officially recognized, requiring only the President’s signature.
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Since the beginning of the current administration in 2023, 16 indigenous lands have been officially recognized – exceeding the commitment to recognize 14 territories made during the 2022 governmental transition. Despite the progress over the previous decade, when only 11 lands were officially recognized, the pace is still considered insufficient by indigenous leaders, who point out that there are at least 107 territori