Stand.earth at the 5th Summit of Presidents of the Amazon

Bogotá, Colombia (August 18th, 2025) — This week, the Stand.earth team will take part in dialogue spaces convened by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), Amazonian Indigenous Peoples, and civil society organizations in Bogotá, Colombia, ahead of the 5th Summit of Presidents of the Amazon. The summit, which will be held on August 22nd, will bring together the presidents of the eight member countries of ACTO – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela – and is a key opportunity in the road to the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30) to advance solutions for the region. 

The Amazon as an exclusion zone for extractive activities, including fossil fuels

Alongside Amazonian Indigenous Peoples and partner civil society organizations, Stand.earth is amplifying the call for the creation of exclusion zones for extractive activities—starting with the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Fossil fuels, the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, are at the top of the list of extractive activities to be phased out in the region. While halting deforestation is crucial, science is clear: the world will not meet the Paris Agreement goals without transitioning away from fossil fuels. 

“The ACTO Summit represents a key opportunity for Amazonian countries to take a firm stand against the expansion of extractive industries that are destroying the forest and violating Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The Belém Declaration already provides a clear mandate for building a joint position among Amazonian countries ahead of COP30. We cannot talk about a just energy transition while the oil, mining, and other extractive frontiers continue advancing over Indigenous territories. Establishing exclusion zones for extractivism—beginning with the Amazon—is urgent,” highlighted Gisela Hurtado, senior campaigner at Stand.earth and expert in climate negotiations and Indigenous issues.

Ensuring Indigenous participation in ACTO

Indigenous Peoples have cared for and protected Amazonian territories for millennia. It is essential that ACTO ensure their effective participation in decision-making processes regarding policies and projects that directly affect their communities and territories. This requires recognizing their own governance systems and valuing ancestral knowledge as an essential part of the response to the climate crisis. More than a matter of historical justice, it is a condition for the effectiveness and sustainability of regional cooperation efforts.

To advance the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples in this key space, Stand.earth will be following the discussions related to the implementation of the Amazon Mechanism of Indigenous Peoples (MAPI, in its Spanish acronym), which seeks to ensure their participation in all instances of ACTO, including its working groups. Another topic is the establishment of the ACTO’s Observatory on Human, Indigenous, and Environmental Rights Defenders in the Amazon, aimed at ensuring the protection of both individual and collective Indigenous rights. Finally, in connection with the COP30 agenda, the Stand.earth team will engage in discussions related to Global Ethical Stocktake, which aims to complement technical assessments with reflections on the ethical dimensions of climate negotiations.

Side events co-hosted by Stand.earth

In addition to offering technical and communicational support to Indigenous organizations from across the Amazon Basin, Stand.earth will co-host the following in-person events in collaboration with partner organizations:

Climate finance, debt, and extractivism – The vicious cycle in the Amazon
Date: August 19th, 2025
Time: 4 pm to 5 pm Bogotá time
Venue: Centro de la Memoria, Paz y Reconciliación (Cra. 19b #24 – 86, Bogotá) – Aula 2
Organizers: Latindadd, Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES), Stand.earth, and Plataforma Boliviana frente al Cambio Climático (PBFCC)
Participation requires prior registration here.

La Amazonía como zona de exclusión para combustibles fósiles
Date: August 20th, 2025
Time: 2 pm to 3 pm Bogotá time
Venue: Hemeroteca de la Universidad Nacional (Ac. 26 #44A-40, Bogotá) – Pabellón Indígena
Organizers: Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia (CIDOB), Federación de la Nacionalidad Achuar del Perú (FENAP), Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Chapra (GTANCH), Movimiento Ciudadano frente al Cambio Climático (MOCICC), Iniciativa del Tratado de No Proliferación de Combustibles Fósiles, Stand.earth
Participation requires prior registration here.

La Amazonía como zona de exclusión para combustibles fósiles
Date: August 21st, 2025
Time: 2 pm to 3:30 pm Bogotá time
Venue: Centro de la Memoria, Paz y Reconciliación (Cra. 19b #24 – 86, Bogotá) – Aula 3
Organizers: Iniciativa del Tratado de No Proliferación de Combustibles Fósiles, Stand.earth, Amazon Watch, Cuencas Sagradas Amazónicas
Participation requires prior registration here.