Manaus Declaration
April 4, 2008
We, organizations of the Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities of Latin
America, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia, meeting in the city of
Manaus, Brazil at the Latin American Workshop, “Climate Change and Forest Peoples:
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and the Rights
of Indigenous and Traditional Peoples” affirm that:
1. Global Climate Change represents an unparalleled threat to the future of
humanity and the Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities, who live in or
depend on the forest and are already suffering its effects. These include severe regional
droughts, drastic changes in rainfall regimes and increasingly frequent forest fires.
2. At current deforestation rates, in conjunction with increasing global warming, large
part of the world’s tropical forests are being drastically degraded, presenting a real
threat to the subsistence and traditional ways of life of our peoples and the planet as a
whole.
3. Historically, the Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities have played a
fundamental role in the defense and protection of hundreds of millions of hectares
of forest, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from tropical
deforestation, without recognition of or compensation for this environmental service.
4. To address the challenges that Climate Change represents, we consider it necessary
to broaden and strengthen Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities’
organization internationally so as to guarantee the effective diffusion of their ideas and
proposals in the negotiations for a new, post-2012 emissions control regime in the context
of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This
network should (1) seek broad recognition of the role of indigenous people and
traditional communities in forest conservation and in reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions from tropical deforestation; (2) guarantee effective participation of the
indigenous people and traditional communities in the construction of mechanisms
that compensate them for the forest protection they promote, such as those under
discussion in the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (REDD) in the UNFCCC. This participation should extend to REDD pilot
projects implemented by governments and the private sector. Finally, the two prior points
must be closely linked to (3) broader and complete respect for Indigenous Peoples’
and Traditional Communities’ Rights and (4) observance of existing national and
international legal principles of indigenous peoples’ territorial rights and traditional
communities’ land rights.
5. To advance this international network of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional
Communities, the participants the Manaus meeting propose to create a Provisional
Committee composed of six members: three from South America, including two from
Amazonia, one from the Congo Basin, one from Meso-America and one from Papua,
Indonesia. This Committee, in coordination with the organizations signing this
Declaration, will be charged with promoting, facilitating and mobilizing Indigenous
Peoples and Traditional Communities internationally to more effectively participate in
the United Nations negotiations on climate change, in particular REDD, as well as in
initiatives on this issue in their respective countries, while keeping the members of the
network, insofar as is possible, informed of their actions. The Committee will, in
addition, have the mission of promoting information exchange and capacity building,
ensuring young peoples’ and women’s’ participation, as well as monitoring national and
regional projects and programs for reducing deforestation. The Committee will remain
active until January 2009, when, on the occasion of the World Social Forum to be held
in Belém, Brazil, it will be responsible for convening the members of the network now
formed, in order for them to create the definitive structure of an International Alliance
of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities of the Forest.
Name Instituition Country
Adilson Vieira Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico - GTA Brasil
Alberto Cantanhede Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico – GTA Brasil
Amine Carvalho Santana Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico – GTA Brasil
Arildo Gapamé Suruí Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira - COIAB
Brasil
Artinelio Hernandez Congresso General Kuna Panamá
Benky Piyanko Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira - COIAB
(Ashaninkas)
Brasil
Byayuwa Muley Adolphine Union pour L'Emancipation de la Femme
Autochtone "UEFA"
República
Democrática do Congo
Carlos Picanerai Coordinación por la Autodeterminación
de los Pueblos Indígenas – CAPI
Paraguay
Célia Regina das Neves Favacho Conselho Nacional dos Seringueiros –
CNS
Brasil
Francisco Aginaldo Queiroz Silva Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico – GTA Brasil
Francisco Avelino Batista Apurinã Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira - COIAB
Brasil
Gilberto Arias Congreso General Kuna - Cacique
General
Panamá
Jean Michel Aupoint Union des Travailleurs Guyanais – UTG Guiana Francesa
Jecinaldo Sateré Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira - COIAB
Brasil
Joaquim Correa de Souza Belo Conselho Nacional dos Seringueiros -
CNS
Brasil
Joseph Itongwa Mukumo PIDP-SHIRIKA LA BAMBUTI
(Programme d'Intégration pour le
Développement du Peuple Pygmée au
Kivu)
República
Democrática do Congo
Juan Carlos Rueda Aliança dos Povos da Floresta Brasil
Júlio Barbosa de Aquino Conselho Nacional dos Seringueiros –
CNS
Brasil
Kapupu Diwa Mutimanwa Ligue Nationale des Associations
Autochtones Pygmees du Congo –
LINAPYCO
República
Democrática do Congo
Laurensius Lirogo Lani YAYASAN BINA ADAT WALESI
(YBAW)
Papua, Indonésia
Lienche Fransiena Maloali Papua Civil Society Support Foundation
(PCSSF)
Papua, Indonésia
Manoel Cunha Conselho Nacional dos Seringueiros –
CNS
Brasil
Marilene Rodrigues Rocha Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de
Santarém
Brasil
Nardo Aloema Organización de Pueblos Indígenas en
Suriname – OIS
Surimane
Ninfa Tividor Yusuino Organización Regional de los Pueblos
Indígenas del Amazonas – ORPIA
Venezuela
Ruth Penafiel Enlace Continental de Mujeres Equador
Sebastião Alves Rodrigues
Manchinery
Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira – COIAB
Brasil
Sinafasi Makelo Adrien Dignité Pygmée – DIPY República
Democrática do Congo
Vilmar Martins Moura Guarany Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas
da Amazônia Brasileira – COIAB
Brasil
Yolanda Hernandez Coordinadora Kaqchikel POP JAY Guatemala