Indigenous leaders from the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC) during Climate Week NYC 2022.
IMAGE CREDIT: Rachel Elkind/GATC

Climate Week NYC 2023: Unleashing People-Powered Solutions to save the world’s rainforests

Climate Week NYC is quickly approaching. From September 17 to 24, thousands of political leaders, policymakers, scientists, experts, and activists will gather in New York City to drive climate action and demand change.

Held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly, Climate Week NYC provides a platform for global citizens to call on world leaders to commit to action. Last year, the Rainforest Foundation Family (Rainforest Foundation US, Rainforest Foundation UK and Rainforest Foundation Norway) collaborated with our partner, the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC), to advocate for direct funding for Indigenous peoples and local communities and launch their vision for direct finance: the Shandia platform. We are excited to continue to support the GATC to promote Shandia and other key demands of the alliance.

 

Highlights From This Year’s Schedule of Events:

  • In a public event organized by the Global Justice Clinic at NYU School of Law on Monday, Sept. 18, we will be hearing the perspectives of two partners from Guyana—the Amerindian Peoples’ Association and South Rupununi District Council, as well as the Mesoamerican Alliance of People and Forests. All will share their concerns around the recent carbon credit deal in Guyana—the first country accredited under the TREES standard. There will also be discussions about the implications of this experience in a burgeoning carbon market. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7pm at the NYU School of Law in Vanderbilt Hall, Room 220.
  • We are co-convening a dialogue led by rights holders on climate-related finance, supporting representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities from some 30 organizations around the world to share reflections and experiences with existing mechanisms and assess gaps, issues, and challenges in addressing partners’ critical needs. For this, we are collaborating with valued allies, including the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), Rainforest Foundation Norway, and the Forest Peoples’ Programme (FPP).
  • We will also co-host an event with our sister organizations Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) and Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) to showcase effective community-based solutions to climate change that are ready to be scaled up for even greater impact. This event, “Saving the World’s Rainforests Through Scalable Grassroots Solutions,” will take place on Friday, Sept. 22, from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm at The Shed, as part of the Our Village event series in partnership with If Not Us Then Who?.

Book your ticket for the “Our Village” event series at eventbrite.com.

Check out additional events scheduled during Climate Week and please join us on Saturday, Sept. 23, for the ceremonial walk down the High Line to commemorate the struggle of Indigenous peoples in their fight to protect their lands.

Read More
News Releases

Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes in Favor of Indigenous Rights in Landmark Trial

Brazil’s Supreme Court reached a majority decision to reject Marco Temporal, a pernicious legal argument that translates as a “Time Limit” on Indigenous peoples’ land rights. As the results were announced, Indigenous communities around Brazil erupted into celebration, filling the central plazas of state capitals with music and dancing.
Stories

Justice Eludes the Saweto Case: A Call for Global Solidarity

The longstanding struggle for justice for the widows and families of the murdered Saweto activists remains unfulfilled. In February, the culprits behind the murder of four Indigenous leaders from the Alto Tamaya-Saweto community had been sentenced to 28 years in prison. Then last month, in an unexpected twist, the Peruvian court reversed this decision and threw out the charges to order a reassessment of the legal process.
RFUS in the Press

Indigenous Leader joins RFUS’s Executive Director to condemn time limit on land rights in Brazil.

Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court is poised to make a critical decision on the Marco Temporal, a legal argument with profound implications for the land rights of Indigenous peoples. Dinamam Tuxá, the Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), and Suzanne Pelletier, the Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation US, condemn this “time limit” on land rights in an op-ed featured on Mongabay.

Back to Search

Take Action Against Climate Change

Rainforests absorb and store more carbon dioxide than all other types of forests, making rainforest protection one of the most effective solutions to climate change. Support Indigenous peoples on the frontlines of rainforest protection.

Hover over the amounts to see what your donation can achieve:

$25
$50
$100
$250

Donate

Sign up today!

Get updates on our recent work and victories, stories from our Indigenous partners, and learn how you can get involved.

Didier Devers
Chief of Party – USAID Guatemala
gro.y1696115644nffr@1696115644sreve1696115644dd1696115644

Didier has been coordinating the USAID-funded B’atz project since joining Rainforest Foundation US in April 2022. He holds a Master’s in Applied Anthropology and a Bachelor’s in Geography. Before joining the organization, Didier worked for 12 years in Central and South America on issues of transparency, legality, governance, and managing stakeholders’ processes in the environmental sector. Prior to that he worked on similar issues in Central Africa. He speaks French, Spanish, and English, and is based in Guatemala.