In Antalya, Turkey, Francisca Arara read a message shaped by Indigenous representatives from all nine states of Brazil’s Legal Amazon: future governments should make decisions with Indigenous peoples, not for them. The reading took place at COP31, the United Nations climate conference, where Acre helped launch the Ybirá project and present the Indigenous Peoples of the Brazilian Amazon Charter.
The charter and project address a practical challenge: Indigenous policies and protections need strong public agencies, resources and a lasting place in government, even when leaders change. The event was organized by the Interstate Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Legal Amazon, alongside its Indigenous Peoples Sector Chamber, coordinated by Arara, who heads Acre’s Extraordinary Secretariat for Indigenous Peoples. It brought together Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Eloy Terena; national Indigenous affairs agency president Lúcia Alberta Baré; Pará’s Indigenous Peoples secretary, Puyr Tembé; consortium executive secretary Vanessa Duarte; and Mexican Indigenous leader Gustavo Sánchez Valle.
The charter was written collectively by managers and representatives of Indigenous affairs agencies in the nine Amazon states. Arara read it aloud and handed it to Minister Terena. Its recommendations include stronger Indigenous secretariats with administrative and budget independence, more investment in territorial and environmental management, and respect for the right to free, prior and informed consultation. That means Indigenous communities should be consulted before decisions affect them, with information provided in advance and without pressure.
The document also calls for recognition of Indigenous environmental agents and coordinated enforcement to confront land invasions, illegal mining and deforestation. Its central proposal is a shift in how public policy is made: communities should take part in shaping decisions that affect their lives and territories.
“When an Indigenous leader enters government, they do not arrive alone,” the charter says. “They carry the voice of the territories, their ancestors, the stories of elders and the hope of those who have never had a direct channel to power.” Arara said Indigenous participation in government is a historic gain, but that it must come with the people and funding needed to turn priorities into results. She also credited the support of Acre’s governor, Mailza Assis.
Arara gave a picture of the work ahead in Acre: the state has 36 Indigenous territories, 246 villages and about 31,000 Indigenous people, including residents in urban areas. Meeting communities’ needs, she said, requires qualified teams, working structures and resources.
The Ybirá Institutional Strengthening Project is intended to help build that capacity. Developed by the Amazon Legal Consortium with state Indigenous secretariats and technical support from Germany’s Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), it proposes investment of about R$78 million. The consortium is discussing the project with Brazil’s National Bank for Economic and Social Development, or BNDES, through the Amazon Fund; final adjustments are under way before submission.
The launch does not yet mean the proposed funding has been approved. But the charter sets out shared priorities for the next state governments, while Ybirá offers a route to strengthen the agencies expected to carry them out. Together, the two initiatives put Indigenous participation and continuity of protection on the agenda at a major climate meeting.