Amazon native representatives regret that Latin American leaders gathered this week in Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas are not hearing their voices to save this forest, vital to their survival and that of the planet.
Delegates from indigenous countries from various countries in Latin America traveled to the United States to take part in this summit. But they say many of them have not gained access to meetings where their forests and their ancestral lands are nevertheless at the heart of the debates.
At these important events, where there are governments, the natives of different countries must be present, to hear our voices and our proposals. said Domingo Peas, from the Achuar community.
Mr. Peas, who belongs to the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of the Ecuadorian Amazon, traveled more than two days, by boat, bus, then plane, to arrive in Los Angeles from his village of one hundred families. But when he arrived, he was told he would not be able to attend the event, where the issue of climate change was high on the agenda.
Indigenous voices were not heard at this summit, some indigenous delegates did not attendtold AFP Atossa Soltani, founder and president of the NGO Amazon Watch.
But refraining from listening to their advice is a serious mistake, he insisted. Indigenous peoples not only have solutions for our climate and biodiversity crises, but they are also the original inhabitants of the Amazon.please Ms. Soltani.
If we have incredibly intact forests in Latin America, it is because indigenous populations, for centuries, have cared for and protected them throughout their lives. he added.
The erratic Summit of the Americas was held in the United States for the first time since its first edition in 1994. The event was intended to showcase President Joe Biden’s commitment to his southern neighbors but many did not.
Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela were not invited by the United States and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an important spokesman for Americans on the subject of immigration, decided to boycott the Summit in protest. . Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, on the other hand, is expected to meet in Los Angeles with Mr. Biden.
For Ms. Soltani, President Bolsonaro, whose country alone is home to approximately 60% of the Amazon rainforest surface, must act to curb its destructive commercial exploitation.
The fate of the Amazon is in the hands of world leaders gathering here this week. This is our destiny to all. This is the future of our children, the future of life on this planet he insisted.
France Media Agency
Source: Radio-Canada
