The room hums not with one language but with many. Around a table sit leaders representing the great Indigenous nations of the Amazon Basin. One wears a headdress of brilliant macaw feathers from Brazil; another, the intricate seed beadwork of the Colombian Andean foothills. Geometric lines of black jenipapo paint (a black dye made from an Amazonian fruit) trace the jawline of a leader from Peru, while the subtle, earthy tones of woven cotton adorn another from Guyana. They are a living mosaic of the world’s greatest forest, a vibrant testament to its diversity. And despite their different origins and traditions, they have gathered to speak with a single, unified voice: the G9 of the Indigenous Amazon.

That collective voice is rising at a moment of unprecedented global focus on their home. The world's attention is fixed on Brazil as it prepares to host the UN Climate Change conference, COP30, in Belém do Pará, a metropolis in the heart of the Amazon. This summit is already historic, set to feature the largest Indigenous participation in the history of these conferences, with an estimated 3,000 leaders attending.

Yet this pivotal moment highlights a paradox: decisions of global importance are being made in the Amazon's backyard, but the voices of the forest's primary guardians have long been sidelined. To break this cycle, the G9 of the Indigenous Amazon has emerged as a powerful, shared response — a coalition from nine Amazonian countries demanding their central role in climate governance.

Why the G9 Alliance Matters to Everyone|

The G9's demand is rooted in a fundamental principle, now backed by undeniable data: Indigenous Peoples are the most effective authorities and managers of the Amazon biome. The proof is stark. Between 1985 and 2023, Indigenous Territories in Brazil lost only 1% of their native vegetation. In contrast, privately owned areas lost 28%. This success makes protecting their lands essential for Brazil to meet its climate commitments, including its goal of zero deforestation by 2030 and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

This success is even more remarkable given the long history of systemic exclusion and a lack of adequate support — the very barriers the G9 was formed to overcome.

Who is the G9? A Transnational Front for the Forest

The G9 of the Indigenous Amazon is a strategic alliance of Indigenous organizations from nine Amazonian countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its origins stretch back to 2024, when COIAB (Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon) and OPIAC (National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon) first proposed a coalition during the pre-COP meetings in Bogotá ahead of COP16. Its mission is to reconnect and strengthen alliances, ensuring the guardians of the Amazon speak with a collective and unignorable voice in global spaces like COP30.

As Angela Kaxuyana, a representative for the Amazon Basin from COIAB, recalls:

“Regarding the creation of the G9 Indigenous Amazon, it was an initiative of the 9 Indigenous organizations of the Amazon Basin, which are members of COICA. It arose from the need to strengthen and outline common agendas in the context of the COPs. In that debate, the leadership began to reflect that the powers of biodiversity, the powers of climate, the authorities on climate, are the Indigenous peoples.”

The alliance was conceived as a powerful political counterpoint to economic blocs. As Angela Kaxuyana explains, the G9 reframes who holds the real power:

"The leadership began to reflect that the powers of biodiversity, the powers of climate, and the authorities on climate are the Indigenous peoples. As a political counterpoint to the G20, we are the G9, here to bring the Amazon's agenda from an Indigenous perspective."

The G9 is not a formal organization, but a "space for narrative" and coalition-building. Its priorities are clear:  recognition of territorial rights, direct financing, biodiversity conservation, and the protection of voluntarily isolated communities.

Building Toward COP30

In June 2025, members of the G9 coalition met in Brasília, Brazil, for their Indigenous Pre-COP30 Summit. There, they presented Indigenous Determined Contributions (NDCs), modeled on the Paris Agreement, and consolidated their strategy for Belém.

Kaxuyana explains the strategy: “For COP30 in Belém, the G9 has established various alliances and very concrete demands. From these meetings, we systematize a bloc of demands for the Amazon Basin. With this unity, with this single voice, we intend to bring these already decided, written, and systematized documents that state very directly what we Indigenous peoples have to say.”

The G9 Platform: A Call for Reform

The G9's strategy for COP30 is a coordinated effort to arrive with a singular message and concrete proposals laid out on four key pillars:

1. Real Power, Not Symbolism

The G9 initially demanded co-presidency of COP30.. While that was not granted, their pressure led to the creation of a new official body, the Indigenous Peoples' Circle. Now, the G9's mission is to ensure it is not a token space, but a seat of genuine decision-making.

2. A Shield for the Planet: Territories as Climate Action

Central to their platform is the full demarcation of all Indigenous territories. As Angela Kaxuyana emphasizes, "It is not enough to recognize that the demarcation of territories is climate policy; the actions of demarcation must be climate policy. Recognition is not enough — it needs to be embedded within the commitments and actions of the states."

3. A Direct Flow of Resources: Financial Autonomy

The numbers reveal the scope of the financial gap problem: while Indigenous Peoples protect 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity, they receive less than 1% of international climate funding. This means that the most effective forest guardians are systematically excluded from the resources needed to continue their work.

The alliance insists on climate funds going straight to Indigenous organizations. Kaxuyana speaks of the "race against time" for direct access to global climate funds. The alliance demands a dramatic shift in how financing is delivered, and their definition of "direct" is unambiguous:"Direct financing for us does not mean via the states or via third-sector organizations. It must go to the Indigenous organizations themselves, directly in the territories — to our own funds, our own mechanisms."

4. A Moratorium on Extraction

Finally, the G9 presents a unified front against the primary driver of deforestation and conflict. A unified demand across the Amazon Basin is to keep Indigenous territories free from oil, gas, and mineral exploitation. As Kaxuyana confirms, their message is that all countries must commit to:"...keeping Indigenous territories as a zone free from the exploration of oil, gas, and other minerals."

A Message to the World

When asked what success at COP30 would mean, Kaxuyana answers with urgency: “Our main message is… that the voice of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon Basin echoes as a single sound… [and] that the state parties of the COP not only consider but commit to actions — actions of demarcation of Indigenous territories, recognition and demarcation of Indigenous territories as effective climate actions.”

For her, this is also about time: “There is much talk about financing negotiations… We have been defending that direct financing for us does not mean via the states or via third-sector organizations. It must be to the Indigenous organizations themselves.”

Some of the key priorities include the recognition and legal protection of all Indigenous territories, particularly those most at risk of exploitation; direct financing and financial autonomy to strengthen self-determination; guaranteed representation and meaningful participation in decision-making spaces; protection of Indigenous leaders and defenders facing threats and violence; and the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems into climate and environmental policies. These priorities align closely with G9’s broader agenda. For more detailed information on COIAB’s priorities for Brazil, read more here. 

How Global Citizens Can Support the G9

The G9 has made its platform clear. The next step is solidarity. Global Citizens can stand with Indigenous and Traditional Communities by:

1. Championing their demands: Amplify their call for the Indigenous Peoples' Circle to have real power and support their recognition as "Climate Powers."

2. Defending their lands and rights: Stand in solidarity with their demand for full demarcation and support their call for a moratorium on extraction in their territories.

3. Demanding financial justice: Support the demand for direct climate finance to flow to Indigenous-led funds, bypassing bureaucratic intermediaries.

4. Supporting the organizers directly: Provide resources to groups like COIAB to strengthen their capacity.

A Shift in Global Climate Leadership

The image of that diverse council — the brilliant feathers, the determined faces of leaders from nine nations — is more than a symbol. It is the new face of global climate leadership. The roar of chainsaws and the oil drills is being challenged by the unified voice of the forest's oldest guardians. 

This represents a profound shift in power, from distant boardrooms to the heart of the forest, from top-down imposition to a model rooted in community and justice. The G9 are not stakeholders requesting a seat at the table. They are the indispensable "Climate Powers" demanding their rightful role in governing the planet. To stand with them is to acknowledge that the path to a livable future runs through the wisdom and resilience of the Amazon’s Indigenous guardians.