Since President Bolsonaro’s assumption of office a year and a half ago, the indigenous peoples in Brazil have been at greater risk than ever. The murder of two members of the Yanomami tribe by illegal gold miners has reminded us once again of the vulnerability and precarious situation of the indigenous peoples of Brazil.

The Brazilian Government’s current environmental agenda puts the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals in jeopardy. It has created incentives that encourage the further destruction of the Amazon rainforest – to the detriment of the indigenous tribes in their traditional territories. This is something our planet cannot afford in the midst of a global biodiversity and climate crisis! I therefore call on the Brazilian Government to reverse all measures that encourage increased deforestation, endanger biodiversity and compromise the rule of law and human rights standards.

Here in Germany, too, we can make a decisive contribution towards ensuring effective protection for the human rights of indigenous peoples, especially their right to life, self-determination and cultural identity. It is therefore important that Germany ratify ILO Convention 169 of 1989 at long last.