Click here to follow RRI’s engagements at COP30.

As the global community prepares for UNFCCC COP30, hosted for the first time in the Amazon region of Brazil, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and its coalition of over 200 partners, collaborators, and allies have been sending a clear and powerful message for months: Earth’s #DefendersLeadTheWay on climate action.

The summit, often referred to as the Indigenous Peoples’ COP, will, for the first time, give more than 1,000 accredited representatives from Indigenous Peoples (IP), local communities (LC), and Afro-descendant Peoples (ADP) access to the Blue Zone, the primary venue for UNFCCC negotiations. 

This is a critical opportunity for rightsholders to take their rightful place at the negotiating table and shape decisions affecting their communities and environments. But leaders from rural and forested regions continue to warn that without meaningful engagement, the international summit risks visibility without influence.

With its partners, RRI will advance six key priorities at COP30.

1. The Funding Community Must Commit to Rights-Based Climate Action via The Pledge We Want Campaign

At COP26, a historic joint donor pledge committed $1.7 billion to advance the forest tenure rights of IPs and LCs from 2021 to 2025. With this pledge expiring at the end of this year, COP30 presents a critical opportunity to shape a more ambitious, accountable, and community-driven successor. 

Critically, RRI’s new State of Funding Report reveals that, if current funding trends continue, a $2.9 billion gap remains toward meeting the $10 billion Path to Scale target, underscoring the urgent need for bolder and more coordinated donor action. 

The Pledge We Want is a response to these persistent disparities. It is a call to action, demanding direct and fair investment. It seeks to transform how climate finance is governed by prioritizing:

• Direct funding to rightsholders to support their self-governance systems, tenure rights, and sustainable livelihoods.
• Recognition of territorial rights to safeguard nature through traditional knowledge.
• Support for community-led conservation initiatives that prioritize biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
• Transparent and accountable governance mechanisms to ensure that funds are used effectively and efficiently.

Sign on to support #ThePledgeWeWant 

2. Shaping the Youth Agenda at COP30

In July 2025, RRI brought together 52 IP, ADP, and LC youth from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in Bali, Indonesia, for the Global Youth Forum (GYF), convened in close collaboration with RRI partners, Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara (BPAN) and Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN). 

Across forests and community lands, youth and elders exchanged lived experiences, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of youth leadership. Together, they set a shared agenda to advance their priorities for defending their territories, cultures, and livelihoods, which is now shaping RRI’s youth advocacy at COP30.

Speaking at a recent RRI press briefing ahead of COP30, Sabba Rani Maharjan, a young Newa activist from Nepal, said:

“Empowering youth empowers the Earth. Participation in discussions like COP30 is not a choice; it is a necessity. Whatever happens at the negotiation tables deeply affects our grassroots communities. Thus, this has become our fight too.”

At COP30, participants of the GYF are coming together to launch RRI’s first-ever Global Youth Network and publish its Roadmap and Justice Statement.

3. Recognizing Afro-descendant Peoples’ Stewardship

As COP30 convenes in Belém, Brazil, the central role of ADPs in climate action is especially significant. Brazil is home to one of the largest Afro-descendant populations in Latin America, and ADPs have long shaped the country’s history, culture, and development. Representing over 134 million people across the region—21% of the population—ADPs continue to face persistent social and economic inequalities, as well as gaps in recognition that affect their rights.

During New York Climate Week, in collaboration with the Ford Foundation and the International Coalition of Afro-descendant Lands and Territories of Latin America and the Caribbean (CITAFRO), RRI hosted a pivotal event to advance the recognition of ADPs as collective rightsholders within the UNFCCC framework. At the event, RRI and Brazil’s Ministry of Racial Equality signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to elevate ADP leadership ahead of COP30. 

This agreement strengthens the International Commission of the Circle of Peoples and centers ADP voices in global climate talks, underscoring that hosting COP30 in Brazil is not just symbolic, but connected to the people driving solutions.

Speaking at the event in New York, Solange Bandiaky-Badji, President and Coordinator of RRI, emphasized:

“Afro-descendant Peoples are not just on the frontlines of the climate crisis—they are leading the way with solutions rooted in centuries of stewardship and resilience.”

At COP30, RRI, CITAFRO, OTEC, and Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) will co-host a side event highlighting the historical and ongoing role of ADPs and LCs in sustainably managing coastal and marine ecosystems.

4. Advocating for Gender Justice in Climate Finance

IP, ADP, and LC women-led organizations across the Global South need consistent, direct funding to drive lasting change. Yet research shows that they remain severely underfunded, with little to no data on their access to resources. This lack of investment limits their vital work as land and forest defenders, food providers, and community leaders.

A recently launched report by RRI and the Women in Global South Alliance (WiGSA) highlights the stark reality: across WiGSA’s network, the median annual budget for women-led organizations is just $338,000, far below what is needed to meet demand. More than half of the organizations surveyed have no core or flexible funding, or that it represents less than 10% of their budget, and nearly two-thirds survive on short-term project grants of two years or less. One in three cannot operate beyond six months without new support.

As the world looks toward renewed momentum and reflection on funding for IP, LC, and ADP tenure and forest guardianship at COP30, one message is clear: direct, gender-inclusive funding must be at the heart of all new commitments.

5. Backing the Frontlines: Investing in Collective Protection 

IPs, ADPs, and LCs are on the frontlines of climate action and are among the most effective defenders of ecosystems essential for planetary health. However, they continue to face escalating threats to their territories, rights, and lives due to land grabbing, extractivism, criminalization, and climate-driven displacement. A recently published Global Witness report reveals that in 2024, 146 land and environmental defenders around the world were murdered or disappeared.

Collective protection—rooted in ancestral governance systems, community solidarity, and territorial defense—is not only a mechanism for self-determination but also a critical pillar of global climate resilience.  

During New York Climate Week, in collaboration with Amazon Watch, Peace Brigades International, and the ALLIED Coalition, RRI hosted an event that shared innovative models for community safety and climate adaptation and launched a report on protecting communities to save the planet.

One of the event’s main objectives was to advance policy advocacy, resulting in increased visibility, recognition, and support for IP- and ADP-led climate action and territorial protection ahead of COP30 in Brazil, and beyond.

6. Strengthening territorial rights is a science-based climate solution

Recognizing the tenure rights of IPs, ADPs, and LCs is one of the most effective ways to fight climate change. When their territories are legally protected, forests store more carbon and biodiversity thrives. But without recognition, these lands face growing threats from mining, oil, and infrastructure projects.

Ahead of COP30 in Brazil, RRI reviewed the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. While all mention IPs, only 40% recognize their territories. Just one NDC refers to ADPs’ territorial rights, and most treat LCs only as “vulnerable groups” instead of partners in climate action. Only one country includes territorial recognition as a climate strategy, and none provides remedies for rights violations.

Without securing tenure rights and community participation, the shift to clean energy could deepen—rather than solve—social and environmental crises. At COP30, RRI and its partners will host a side event to discuss how governments can strengthen their national climate ambitions by protecting rights. 

As the world gathers in Brazil for COP30 to chart the next steps in addressing the climate crisis, RRI will join global partners in advancing solutions for people and the planet.

Learn more about RRI’s participation at COP30 here or follow our journey on social media.

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