The challenges of the Amazon Region in the context of climate change : Paving the way to COP 30.

Six months ahead of COP 30 in Belém, what are the major environmental policy challenges for the Amazon? In a rapidly evolving geopolitical and domestic context, how to ensure that climate issues (biodiversity loss, large fires, natural resource depletion) remain a top priority for the Lula presidency ? What proposals are emerging from the Amazon region and indigenous communities more specifically to preserve this ecosystem? These topics will be addressed by Txai Surui and Thiago Karai Djekupe Guarani. 

The discussion is chaired by Charlotte Halpern, Director of the Institute for environmental Transformations. It is organized as part of the France-Brazil 2025 season and with the support of the Association Aquaverde.

Txai Surui

Txai Suruí carries the strength and voice of many women who fight to preserve the environment. Walelasoetxeige Suruí (or Txai Suruí) is the daughter of the great activist Neidinha Suruí and Almir Suruí, one of the most well-known indigenous leaders for his fight against deforestation in the Amazon. A leader of the Paiter Suruí ethnic group, Txai was the only Brazilian and Indigenous person to speak at COP 26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. Txai Suruí is the founder of the Rondonia Indigenous Youth Movement , where she plays an important role in denouncing the advance of agriculture on the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau indigenous lands. Her work in defense of indigenous rights and environmental preservation has been recognized nationally and internationally. 

She is the coordinator of the Kanindé Ethno-Environmental Defense Association, an organization created by her mother, Neidinha Suruí, which carries out various studies and research activities, as well as management, monitoring, and strengthening plans for indigenous lands. Txai is an advisor to WWF Brazil and the United Nations Global Compact. She volunteers for the NGO Engajamundo and is a columnist for Folha de São Paulo.

Thiago Karai Djekupe Guarani

Karai Djekupe is a Guarani leader, a graduate in architecture and urban planning, an advisor to the Museum of Indigenous Cultures and a member of the forest brigade. Grandson of Jandira Kuerexu, the first woman recognized as a chief in her country, Karai Djekupe continues his grandmother's tradition, dedicating himself to the protection of Pico do Jaraguá and fighting for the demarcation of his people's sacred territory. In 2016, he launched the project "Oremba'e Eí Yma Guare - The Honey of the Past ," which aims to protect endangered native bees and preserve biodiversity. In addition to his involvement in curatorial projects and exhibitions that promote Guarani culture and memory, he is constantly involved in land monitoring and protection. 

He works to build and plan infrastructure and habitats that respect Guarani traditions and nature. In the fight against deforestation, in 2020 he led a collective movement against the construction company Tenda, which wanted to destroy a remaining area of the Atlantic Forest. In 2022, he is thematic coordinator of the National Conference on Indigenous Health. He will participate in COP28 in 2023 and the COP on Biodiversity in 2024, where he will discuss strategies to address climate emergencies.