Closing of the COP29 in Baku (November 22)

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) criticizes the structural separation between the Biodiversity Conference (COP16) and the Climate Change Conference (COP29). This artificial division hinders a holistic view of environmental and climate protection issues and ignores the complex interactions between the loss of biodiversity and global warming. “While the severe impacts of illegal gold mining in the Amazon region on Indigenous territories and the environment were discussed at the COP in Cali, Colombia, these urgent issues barely found their way into the negotiations in Baku – although these illegal activities on Indigenous territories do not only affect the regions in question but are also to be seen as a direct threat to the global climate protection goals. Due to the lack of media attention and the lack of coordination between the two conferences, it is difficult to find global solutions to these transnational challenges,” stated Jan Königshausen, STP expert on Indigenous peoples.
The report from Cali proves that mercury poisoning and the proliferation of criminal networks pose a massive threat to the health and safety of Indigenous communities. At the same time, the combination of deforestation, climate change, and unregulated resource exploitation undermines the functioning of the Amazon ecosystems, which are essential to global climate protection efforts. “This is why climate protection negotiations must include Indigenous perspectives. A technocratic climate policy that ignores social and cultural context is destined to fail. Protecting Indigenous territories is essential to preserve biodiversity and to keep climate change at bay,” Königshausen added.” 
A bright spot at the COP29, however, was the official founding of the G9 – an alliance of indigenous peoples from the nine Amazonian states (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname). The G9 sees itself as a political coalition with the aim of promoting the protection of indigenous rights and territories and positioning their demands in the global dialogue. “Indigenous peoples play a key role in preserving forests and biodiversity, but, so far, their voices are not heard adequately,” Königshausen explained.
The G9 has already announced plans to develop a common agenda – to be presented at the COP30 in Belém, Brazil. It is supposed to include specific measures to protect territories and resources and recognize the importance of indigenous knowledge systems with regard to sustainable development. “The hope is that Indigenous representatives will finally be recognized as equal partners. Meaningful progress in addressing the climate crisis and protecting biodiversity can only be achieved through their active involvement,” Königshausen emphasized.