Under the theme “APIB is all of us: In defense of the Constitution and life”, the 21st Free Land Camp (ATL), the largest indigenous assembly in Brazil, brought together between April 7th and 11th, 2025, in Brasília (DF), more than 6 thousand indigenous people from all regions of the country, in addition to representatives from Latin America and island peoples of the Pacific.
The meeting celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), reaffirming the central role of indigenous peoples in the fight against the climate crisis and in defending their constitutional rights.
As is customary at the ATL, the campground was filled with themed tents that hosted discussions hosted by APIB's regional organizations. The space was also marked by the cultural diversity of the peoples, with the presence of Indigenous crafts and artistic expressions.
Protests against the timeframe and the Supreme Federal Court's Conciliation Chamber
The Conciliation Chamber on the temporal framework, led by Minister Gilmar Mendes at the Federal Supreme Court (STF), was the target of criticism during the meeting, being considered an attempt to reconfigure indigenous policy to weaken rights guaranteed by the 1988 Constitution.
Although the Supreme Federal Court declared the temporal framework unconstitutional in 2023, Indigenous leaders see the creation of the Chamber as an institutional maneuver to meet pressure from the ruralist caucus. The coalition between agribusiness sectors and legislative representatives seeks to reverse the Supreme Court's decision through the processing of Constitutional Amendment Proposal 48/2023 and the formulation of a preliminary draft that, in practice, restores the foundations of the temporal framework. Controversial points include the proposed compensation for denuded land, the weakening of communities' right to free, prior, and informed consultation, and the possibility of using the Military Police in repossession actions.
For the Indigenous movement, the Conciliation Chamber ceased to be a space for dialogue and began to operate in favor of a ruralist agenda. Given this scenario, APIB decided to withdraw from the space in August 2024, demanding its dissolution and the repeal of Law 14.701/2023, which consolidates setbacks in the field of Indigenous territorial rights.
The two large marches that took place during the ATL reflected the revolt of Indigenous peoples against attacks on their rights in the Brazilian state's power structures. Thousands of Indigenous people marched to the Esplanada dos Ministérios (Ministry Esplanade) carrying a replica of the Statue of Justice wearing a headdress—a symbol of the campaign for dignity, demarcation, and historical reparations. The last march, which took place on April 10th, was violently repressed by the police, resulting in injuries to people, including women, children, the elderly, and federal deputy Célia Xakriabá. Several institutions, like ISPN, expressed their repudiation of the violence and solidarity with the indigenous peoples.
Indigenous NDC and International Commission for COP-30
With the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-30) scheduled for November in Belém, Pará, this year's ATL highlighted climate issues. APIB launched its Indigenous Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), developed with its regional partners. The document presents six priority areas: mitigation, adaptation, financing, technology transfer, capacity building, justice, and co-benefits. The proposal reinforces the need for equity, self-determination, and effective Indigenous participation in Brazil's climate policies, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
On the same day, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples announced the creation of the International Indigenous Commission for COP-30, chaired by Minister Sonia Guajajara. The commission brings together organizations such as APIB, the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry (ANMIGA), the G9 of the Indigenous Amazon, the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The goal is to secure credentials for one thousand indigenous representatives from Brazil to the COP's Blue Zone, the space where global climate negotiations take place.
The launch plenary session was attended by Minister Marina Silva (Environment) and the president of COP-30, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. The initiative is part of APIB's global campaign "The Answer Is Us," which advocates for the demarcation of Indigenous territories as an essential policy for combating the climate crisis.
Declaration of the Peoples of the Amazon, Pacific and Australia
ATL 2025 was also notable for the presence of Indigenous delegations from more than 15 countries, including representatives from the Amazon Basin, Australia, Fiji, and the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities. Among the groups present were: Pacific Climate Warriors, recognized for their work at UN conferences, the G9 of the Amazon Basin and the Indigenous Troika, a strategic alliance between leaders from Brazil, the Pacific and Australia to ensure continued presence at COPs 29, 30 and 31.
During the event, the declaration "United by the Strength of the Earth: We Are the Answer" was launched, denouncing the inaction of governments in the face of the climate emergency and demanding equal voice and decision-making power for indigenous peoples at COP-30, as well as direct financing, a fair energy transition, and recognition of the centrality of indigenous knowledge in protecting global biodiversity. Learn more here.
Gurupi Mosaic Featured
Another important moment of the Free Land Camp (ATL) 2025 was the space granted by the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab) to the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations and Peoples of Maranhão (Coapima), to share advances and challenges in the environmental and territorial management of the state's indigenous territories.
Among the initiatives highlighted were the Hamy Project, aimed at creating an Indigenous cancer care network, and the Tukan Institute's proposal to establish an Indigenous university in the Araribóia Indigenous Territory. In this context, the Gurupi Mosaic gained centrality in the debate as a structuring strategy for territorial protection in Maranhão.
The executive secretary of the Gurupi Mosaic management board, Antônio Wilson Guajajara, emphasized the initiative's role as a tool for strengthening Indigenous governance and providing direct support to communities. Located between Maranhão and Pará, the Gurupi Mosaic encompasses six Indigenous Lands and a conservation unit and is in the process of being formalized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA). It is the last remaining Amazon rainforest in Maranhão and eastern Pará.
Mosaico Gurupi's Indigenous communications team also played a significant role during the ATL. Young communicators from the Vozes do Gurupi training program actively participated in the collaborative coverage promoted by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), in addition to producing audiovisual recordings for their own organizations and territories. The team also participated in a special workshop on journalistic coverage, interviews, and audiovisual production techniques, encouraging participants to document the voices of their leaders and the various demonstrations throughout the event.
The Vozes do Gurupi formation is part of the project Management and Restoration at the Gurupi Mosaic, implemented by ISPN in partnership with Coapima and with support from the Copaíbas Program of the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (Funbio). The workshop was led by Coletivo 105, a partner organization responsible for implementing the project's communications component.
Furthermore, ISPN supports the consolidation of the Gurupi Mosaic through the project Indigenous Landscapes, an initiative carried out in partnership with the Indigenous Work Center (CTI) and the Nupef Institute, with support from the International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). The proposal strengthens the connection between Indigenous peoples, civil society organizations, and government agencies in defense of the forest and Indigenous ways of life.
Final Letter “The Answer Is Us”
At the conclusion of the ATL, APIB released the meeting's final letter, titled "We Are the Answer." The document reinforces the commitment to defending the Constitution, Mother Earth, and life. See the full document here.
The main points include:
- Demarcation as climate policy: urgent resumption of the demarcation of indigenous lands, essential for environmental protection;
- Criticism of Congress and the Supreme Federal Court: complaint against Congress, considered the most conservative in history, and the creation of the Chamber of Conciliation with symbolic indigenous participation, where in practice, there is no guarantee of voice and effective listening of indigenous peoples;
- Launch of the NDC and the Commission for COP-30: as strategies to ensure indigenous protagonism in global climate decisions.
- Rejection of fossil fuel exploration: warns of the socio-environmental impacts of energy exploration when it disrespects indigenous territories.
The letter was signed by APIB and its regional organizations, concluding the ATL with a clear message: indigenous peoples will continue to be protagonists in the defense of life and the planet.
For the coordinator of the ISPN Indigenous Peoples Program, João Guilherme Nunes Cruz, throughout its 21 editions, the Acampamento Terra Livre has consolidated itself not only as a space for political mobilization, but also as a living and unique expression of the cultural diversity of the indigenous peoples of Brazil.
"No institutional violence, such as that currently witnessed in society, especially in Congress and the Chamber of Conciliation regarding the timeframe and other affronts to the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples, or even attempts at repression, are capable of overshadowing the strength of this celebration and collective mobilization," he stated, also highlighting the relevance of APIB's 20th anniversary.
"APIB is a product of ATL and, since its creation, has become the main reference for the indigenous struggle in Brazil. ISPN is proud to be a partner of APIB and to walk alongside the Brazilian indigenous movement."