At just 10 years old, little Luna Manchineri called for progress in the demarcation of indigenous lands and the participation of children in decisions about the future of the Amazon during the 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31), taking place in Antalya, Turkey. (See video above)
Luna represented indigenous children in the Brazilian Amazon and argued that forest protection needs to consider indigenous territories and ensure that future generations can continue living in them.
During her participation, last Wednesday (11), the young woman also delivered a handwritten letter to First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, with the request that the message be forwarded to President Lula.
According to the girl's mother, the training manager and executive director of the indigenous organization Manxinerune Tsihi Pukte Hajene (Matpha), Wauana Manchineri, aged 32, the expectation is that the document will help open space for the children's demands to be heard by the federal government. She accompanied her daughter to the conference as a representative of the organization.
Luna Machineri is 10 years old and called for the demarcation of indigenous lands during COP31 — Photo: Reproduction
To g1, she said that Luna has been following the indigenous movement since before she was born and that she shows interest in environmental issues. The delegation is expected to return next Monday (16) to follow the presidents' agendas.
Also according to Wauana, the first lady said she would try to facilitate the conversation, but the agenda did not allow the meeting to take place during the conference.
“We are waiting with hope that this moment can happen and we ask for support from Marina Silva, Marco Tulio, some other partners and Janja too”, he explained.
Wauana Manchineri participates in COP31 with her daughter — Photo: Vicente Taveira/Ascom Coiab
Charge for demarcation
In a video, Luna presents a demonstration at COP31. In her position, the girl highlighted the importance of Brazilian leadership in combating deforestation. Furthermore, she also recalled that the conservation of the Amazon is directly linked to the protection of indigenous territories.
"Now we want the demarcation of indigenous lands to advance more and more. I ask everyone here: 'Who will defend the Amazon and Brazil in 2050?'", he asked.
The young woman also drew attention to the perspective of those who will still be living the consequences of decisions made in this and future years. When comparing his current age with what he will be in 2050, Luna highlighted that the future of the forest concerns children who live in indigenous territories.
"Today I'm 10 years old, in 2050 I'll be 34. That's why I'm here. In 2050, I want to be alongside my friends, living in our forest. We indigenous children also have a voice and we run the risk of not having a living territory for our future. The answer is us", he declared.
Collective construction
According to Wauana, the girl participates in CAFI Parentinho, an initiative by the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab) aimed at indigenous children in the Amazon.
According to her, the space promotes political construction with children's participation and seeks to increase the presence of children in debates about the rights of indigenous peoples and the protection of territories.
The letter that underlies the mobilization and delivered to Janja, according to Wauana, was created collectively during the Terra Livre Camp (ATL). "The letter is created with the children during the Terra Livre Camp. We already have the 'Manifesto of Indigenous Children of the Brazilian Amazon' and the COP advocacy letter", he said.
Wauana also mentioned the so-called ‘Road Map’, described in the letter, and which advocates that initiatives like this be accompanied by the advancement of demarcation and by mechanisms that allow the effective participation of indigenous children.
“In the first letter she talks about Brazil's leading role as a preservation leader, but remembers that preservation comes mainly from indigenous territories, she says that the Mapa do Caminho is a good solution for Brazil for other countries, but that this mechanism brings the demarcation of the territory and, above all, asks that the voices of indigenous children really be heard, that there is a space where they can be and build policies and mechanisms based on their views and ways”, he stated.
