COP30 is the 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference where countries come together to negotiate and strengthen global climate action. Taking place in Belém, Brazil in 2025, this COP is especially significant for indigenous communities because it is hosted in the Amazon region—one of the world’s most important ecosystems for climate regulation. This conference offers a unique chance to focus international attention on protecting the rainforest and advancing urgent climate goals at a critical moment.

Indigenous communities are notoriously underrepresented in the political climate change conversations and at previous UN Climate Change Conferences, even if they are one of the most vulnerable and impacted groups of climate change. They are also guardians of the rainforest and hold unique knowledge about the Amazon rainforest and its ecosystems, and their traditional practices can offer crucial solutions to climate change. Brazil is home to many indigenous communities, but they are lacking financial resources and integration, holding them back to attend. With the aim to drive climate justice, we support the indigenous elder Pai Nani from the Yawanawá to attend this important event.

There is a hope that this COP is going to be more supportive for indigenous communities and that instead of just listeners Indigenous leaders become active participants in shaping climate policies.

Who are the Yawanawá?

The Yawanawá are the folk of the “white-lippe peccary”, an indigenous folk of ca. 1200 people living on the Rio Gregorio, Acre Brazil and in the adjacent area of Perú and Bolivia. They have been living here for thousands of years and their territory stretches over ca. 180,000 hectares. They are guardians of this local land and 95% of the biodiversity of their territory remains intact. They are great role models for living in balance with nature. At the same time, they are facing political and environmental threats such as pollution of their territory through industry and the influence of Westernization.

COP30 is a crucial opportunity to raise the Yawanawa’s profile in front of politicians and the world but also for them to educate themselves about climate change and to integrate their opinion into the political debate.

Why their visit is important?

For thousands of years indigenous people have been role models in living in balance with nature. They safeguard 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. They are the guardians of the rainforest and therefore a vital force in preventing climate change. As a fact, indigenous protected areas of the Amazon rainforest experienced just 1/3 the amount of deforestation compared to non-protected areas. Forests are one of the most important carbon sinks to mitigate global warming and keep ecosystems intact. Indigenous people are also one of the most vulnerable groups of climate change. The Yawanawá villages are already experiencing heatwaves and floods. According to the IPCC, the area of Brazil where the Yawanawá live will be at high risk and highly vulnerable to climate change.

The request:

Pai Nani does not have financial means to travel and accommodate to the COP30. We are a group of volunteers and also require funding to accompany him. He is dependent on our guidance, organisation of speaking opportunities and translation. His presence at COP28 was a success and he is a strong speaker but given his normal life is in the depths of the Brazilian rainforest political events are a challenge to navigate for him alone. To be able to attend together we will need to cover travel costs of Pai Nani and his son and our team of 3 supporters. To cover transport, food and accommodation costs for 5 people (2 Yawanawá representatives and 3 supporters) we need a total amount of funding of around 5000 Euros. We are gratefully receiving partial funding.

Our delegation:

Pai Nani (Nani Kateyuve) is the spiritual leader of the Yawaraní village of the Yawanawa tribe. He is a great presenter and representative of Yawanawá culture and is one of a very few elders who still speaks the original Pano language fluently. He dedicated his life to preserve and reintroduce the ancient Yawanawa traditions to the next generation of Yawanawa but also share it with Westerners. He holds the knowledge of the traditional stories (Shenipahu) which have been the way of transmitting ancient knowledge of the tribe for thousands of years. His ability to translate the ancient knowledge into modern contexts is remarkable and will be a great contribution to the event. He will be our main representative of the Yawanawá at COP30. He already attended COP28 in Dubai where he was holding speeches in the Indigenous Pavilion as well as other side events of the COP, in addition to holding collective indigenous opening prayers for the event with a delegation of other indigenous elders.

Pai Nani is traveling with his children Ushunawa and Paka who grew up immersed in Yawanawá traditions, rituals, and teachings. As rising role models for the next generation of Yawanawá, the children carry forward ancient knowledge that is vital for the rainforest.

About us:

The project is a collaboration between Anatta Sensorium and AYNI ALLIANCE. Both are registered non-for-profit organisation aiming to strengthen the voice of indigenous people in front of global decision makers. We believe that we need to support Indigenous communities to support us in reconnecting back to nature to overcome the challenges of the 21st century and safeguard humanity.

Juri Händelson (Luca Schiano di Colella) has been working with the Yawanawá tribe since 5 years and spends several months every year integrated in their village life. He has been accompanying them over the last years to visit Europe with the aim of cultural exchange and for them to share their traditions and wisdom with people from Europe. He is deeply connected to the tribe. Since he studied politics and international relationships at the “Orientale” University of Naples he dedicated his life to the support of indigenous people. He lived and studied in many different indigenous communities, among others with the Wixarika, Lakota, Arhuaco, Kogi, Muisca, Siona-Cofan, Huni Kuin and Yawanawá. He is founder of our collaboration organisation Annata Sensorium.

Ela Rose has been a sustainability business advisor for over a decade and has consulted global businesses on their carbon reduction strategies and other climate change related topics. She holds an MSc in Environmental Management from Imperial College. Since 2019 she has worked with indigenous communities to explore their culture, belief systems and concepts. It is her mission to integrate Indigenous voices into the climate debate. She is an experienced presenter and accompanied the Yawanawá tribe to COP28 and is the link to connect them to European Institutions. She is founder of non-profit organization AYNI ALLIANCE.

Isabella Pfoser has been advocating for climate and social justice for over a decade, beginning her activism after graduating high school. She has worked as a social worker in refugee camps across Greece and the Middle East and gained professional experience with the United Nations, focusing on gender equality and sustainable energy. As Austria’s UNFCCC Youth Delegate, she attended COP26 and COP27, where she successfully advocated for climate justice—particularly in the areas of loss and damage and Indigenous-led nature-based solutions - building bridges between EU negotiators and LDC Youth Grassroots. With deep insight into the UNFCCC process, she is committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and ensuring their representation at the negotiation table.