Belém, Brazil — On Thursday, November 13, Indigenous women leaders from the Amazon will bring forth calls to action and advocacy efforts to protect the Amazon, Indigenous rights, women land defenders, forests, water, communities, and the global climate. This event will be a press conference organized by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Latin America is one of the deadliest regions for environmental land defenders, consistently recording the highest number of documented murders of land and environmental defenders.

With 80% of the planet’s remaining biodiversity existing within the territories of Indigenous Peoples, or managed by them, and the Amazon on the brink of a tipping point, Indigenous rights and knowledge are critical as a climate solution and essential to a successful COP30. Panelists will address the devastating impacts of deforestation, extractive industries and agri-business in the Amazon, and share calls to action and advocacy efforts to protect Indigenous rights and global biodiversity.

During the Press Conference, WECAN will release “The Escazú Agreement Toolkit for Women Land Defenders and Frontline Communities. The set of toolkits are designed to help women land defenders navigate their country's domestic laws to achieve the protections of the Escazú Agreement, and contain information specific to different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including: Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Enabling women to participate safely in environmental decision-making processes is key to addressing the root causes of environmental degradation and deforestation, making the Escazú Agreement a landmark achievement in the pursuit of environmental justice. However, in many places, significant gaps persist between what the law states and the daily reality on the ground. These toolkits serve as essential resources for navigating legal complexities and ensuring that frontline defenders receive the full protections guaranteed by the Escazú Agreement.

COP30 Press Conference – Indigenous Women from the Amazon: Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Forests & Uplift Indigenous Rights

When: Thursday, November 13 at 16:30 - 17:00

Where: Press Conference Room, Blue Zone, UNFCCC COP30

Who:

• Patricia Gualinga (Kichwa), Kichwa leader from Sarayaku, Spokeswoman for Mujeres Amazónicas Defensoras de la Selva (Amazon Women in Defense of the Jungle), WECAN Coordinator Ecuadorian Amazon, Ecuador

• Olivia Bisa Tirko (Chapra), President, Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation (GTANCH), Peru

• Secretary Puyr Tembé (Tembé), First Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon, and Co-founder of National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (ANMIGA), Brazil

• Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Turtle Island/USA