At COP30 in Belem, in Brazil's Amazon region, the country's Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, hopes Indigenous peoples will play a leading role in the international climate conference that begins Monday.

Without them, "there is no future for humanity," she told AFP in an interview.

Guajajara, a member of the Guajajara-Tenetehara ethnic group who was born in an Indigenous reserve in Maranhao state, is the first person to hold the portfolio created by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva when he returned to power in 2023.

On the eve of the UN climate conference, Guajajara, 51, anticipates "the best COP in terms of Indigenous participation," but denounces the "racism" suffered by Indigenous peoples.

She laments that Brazil's government has not been able to approve more Indigenous reserves.

According to the minister, this effort has been hindered by a law passed by the predominantly conservative parliament, which restricts the recognition of lands that belong to Indigenous peoples.

Brazil, Latin America's largest country, is home to 1.7 million Indigenous people, divided into 391 ethnic groups speaking 295 languages, out of a total population of over 200 million.

QUESTION: Do you think that the fact that the COP is taking place in the Amazon for the first time will help change the way the general public sees Indigenous peoples?

ANSWER: There is a great deal of ignorance, a great deal of racism, a significant lack of understanding in society as a whole about Indigenous peoples. There is a lack of knowledge about the reality in which these Indigenous peoples live.

The COP can contribute significantly to greater understanding and interest from society as a whole regarding Indigenous peoples -- especially regarding the role that Indigenous peoples and Indigenous territories play in maintaining climate balance.

It has been proven that the presence of Indigenous peoples, whether in demarcated territories or not, ensures clean water, protected biodiversity, pesticide-free food, and standing forests.

And all of this is what humanity needs to continue to exist. Therefore, we say, without Indigenous peoples, without these voices, there is no future for humanity.

Q: How have you seen the representation of Indigenous peoples evolve in climate discussions?

A: A COP in the Amazon needs to consider the voices of Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and all those who have always faced great difficulty in reaching where the COP takes place.

In 2009, when I participated in my first COP, which was COP15 in Copenhagen, there was one or two Indigenous individuals present, but they were not participating. Since then, we have been working on building this inclusion, increasing representation, and creating spaces for dialogue.

From then until now, there has been tremendous progress. I was very excited to participate in the summit of presidents, during the launch of the TFFF (the Tropical Forest Forever Fund), as well as the session addressing the topic of climate and nature.

Of course, there is still much to be done for countries to ensure this leadership. In both moments, all the presidents who spoke emphasized the importance of including Indigenous peoples, ensuring funding for Indigenous communities, and guaranteeing the protection of Indigenous peoples and territories.

- 'Guardians of the forest' –

Q: What is the impact of climate change on Indigenous peoples?

A: The changes are already being felt in various ways in Indigenous territories, on the outskirts of large cities, through major floods and severe droughts. Any of these factors directly affect daily life.

Although there is already recognition that we, Indigenous peoples, are the greatest guardians of the forest, the environment, and biodiversity due to our way of life, we are the first and most impacted.

Because when there is a flood, for example, it affects food security, when fish die, when water is contaminated, when there is drought, roads become inaccessible, as rivers are also a means of transportation for us.

It affects schools, when children cannot move from one place to another to attend school, it affects education.