Indigenous Peoples from Brazil and Peru Deliver Declaration in Brasília and Demand an End to Projects that Threaten Their Territories
Group photo of the members of the Transboundary Commission.
Brasília, April 2025 — From April 3 to 8, Indigenous leaders from 12 Native Peoples of the border region between Peru and Brazil gathered in Brasília for the 8th Meeting of the Yurúa/Juruá/Upper Tamaya Transboundary Commission. This binational coordination network brings together representatives from communities, Indigenous organizations, and allies from both governmental and non-governmental institutions. Their shared goal: to strengthen the defense of their territories and demand urgent responses to the growing threats they face.
Representatives from the Regional Organization AIDESEP Ucayali (ORAU), the Association of Native Communities for the Integral Development of Yurúa Yono Sharakoiai (ACONADIYSH), the Asháninka Association of the Amônia River (APIWTXA), and the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Juruá River (OPIRJ), alongside strategic allies such as the Pro-Indigenous Commission of Acre, Instituto Fronteiras, and Upper Amazon Conservancy, submitted the Brasília Declaration to Brazilian authorities. The declaration calls for urgent action against the opening of illegal roads, the expansion of illicit activities, and the ongoing lack of protection for critical biodiversity areas.
Illegal Road Opening on the Peruvian Side Denounced
Francisco Piyanko, president of OPIRJ (Brazil), explains the map with the proposed route of the UC-105 road.
The declaration highlights, with deep concern, the illegal opening of the UC-105 road, which connects Nueva Italia to Puerto Breu in Peru. According to a study by the University of Richmond, this road has caused the deforestation of over 4,000 hectares between 2016 and 2023. Indigenous leaders warn that road projects of this kind—carried out without prior consultation—violate collective rights and undermine international commitments to combat climate change.
During their visit, Commission members and participating delegations held meetings with officials from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, and the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI). They also joined the Free Land Camp, standing in solidarity with movements demanding legal recognition of Indigenous territories in Brazil.
Urgent Demands for Territorial Defense and PIACI Protection
The Brasília Declaration calls for:
The implementation of permanent monitoring posts along the border
Joint territorial control actions between Peru and Brazil
Immediate protection for Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI)
Justice for the four leaders of the Alto Tamaya-Saweto community, murdered in 2014, including the pre-trial detention of those responsible
The Commission also urged the formal recognition of the Amônia, Shesea, Tamaya, Dorado, and Shatanya rivers—vital to local biodiversity and essential to global hydrological cycles.
“We are not against development. We are against development that is imposed without respect for life and the forests,” Indigenous organizations stated in the Declaration.
At Upper Amazon Conservancy, we reaffirm our commitment to defending Indigenous territories and protecting the Amazonian forests at the headwaters of the Amazon. We stand with and support the demands of our Indigenous allies for a just, respectful, and sustainable development.
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