Close-up view of indigenous feather headdresses with colourful feathers against a cloudy sky background © GIZ/Anna Boehm

Enhancing the well-being of indigenous peoples in Brazil

Indigenous Rights and Territories

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  • Client

    German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

  • Country
  • Political sponsors

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  • Runtime

    2024 to 2027

  • Involved

    National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples/FUNAI (implementing partner), the indigenous peoples in Brazil, as well as indigenous organisations, e.g. Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil - APIB, Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia - COAIB, Conselho Indígena de Roraima - CIR, indigenous women’s organisations, e.g. Articulação Nacional das Mulheres Indígenas Guerreiras da Ancestralidade - ANMIGA, employees of the MPI and FUNAI

  • Products and expertise

    Climate, environment, management of natural resources

Context

In Brazil, budget and staff cuts during former governments have weakened institutions like the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (FUNAI) and the Ministry of Environment (MMA). Consequently, policies, laws, and instruments to protect and guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples and territories have been dismantled. Notably, between 2017 and 2022, no indigenous territory received legal recognition nationally.

Nevertheless, in 2023, the government established the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) and began rebuilding FUNAI step by step. Indigenous female leaders now lead both institutions.

Indigenous peoples often create and implement their own environmental and management plans (PGTAs) for their territories. These plans are essential for Brazil’s indigenous communities to manage, protect, and develop their lands in a long-term and self-determined way. However, there is often a lack of financial resources to implement the planned measures and insufficient human resources to meet the administrative requirements.

Objective

Indigenous territories in Brazil are secure, with their territorial integrity and the rights of indigenous peoples protected.

Approach

To achieve the project's objective, three main lines of action are planned:

  • Organisational development: The project improves the skills of employees of the MPI and FUNAI to effectively protect indigenous rights and territories.
  • Improving land regularisation: It optimises processes, information systems and data management for the improved land regularisation of territories to ensure efficient management.
  • Policy implementation: The project enacts national indigenous policies, such as the National Policy on environmental and territorial management of indigenous territories. It facilitates direct access for indigenous organisations to resources for implementing their plans and enhances governance and coordination bodies with civil society participation.

Last update: June 2024