Jakarta — The voices of Indigenous youth must be at the centre of global climate negotiations, Greenpeace Indonesia urged, as forest defenders from West Papua and beyond gathered to launch a united call for action.
“Shamefully, the voices of youth, and especially Indigenous youth, are routinely sidelined in decision-making. My hope is that from this forest defender camp our voices will carry to the national and international stage,” said Nabot Sreklefat of the Knasaimos Indigenous Youth Community in West Papua.
Sreklefat’s words opened the Forest Defender Camp in Sira Village, Tehit-Knasaimos territory, where 89 Indigenous youth from across the world’s major tropical rainforests gathered to forge a united front against the twin climate and biodiversity crises. The week-long camp brought together representatives from all seven customary regions of West Papua, alongside delegates from the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Borneo.
Sira Declaration
The event culminated in the Sira Declaration, a joint call for world leaders to legally recognise Indigenous rights, grant direct access to climate finance, and protect ancestral territories. The declaration underscores how Indigenous communities—who act as frontline guardians of forests—face common threats from deforestation, land grabbing, and exclusion from policymaking.
For Indonesia, the declaration highlights West Papua’s forests, which are among the most biodiverse in the world. Greenpeace Indonesia called on global leaders to listen directly to the camp’s message.
“The twin climate and biodiversity crises pose an existential global threat to the future of the younger generation. The voices that reach the ears of world leaders must be those of the true protectors of our forests. Indigenous youth are the key to Earth’s future,” said Kiki Taufik, Global Head of Greenpeace’s Indonesia forests campaign.
A global alliance
Amazonian leader Nathalia Kycendekarun Apurinã echoed the urgency, stressing that Indigenous knowledge is central to addressing planetary crises. “The climate crisis requires everyone – governments, businesses, and international organisations to join us,” said the spokesperson for The Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB).
She added that “the solution exists, and it is rooted in our traditional knowledge and our connection to nature. The time for action is now”.
The Sira Declaration will be carried forward to international talks, including the UN climate conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, this November. (nsh)
Banner photo: A Papuan Indigenous woman of Tehit tribe stands under Merbau tree during the Forest Defender Camp 2025 in the Sira village forest, at Knasaimos customary area in South Sorong, Southwest Papua. 26 September 2025. © Jurnasyanto Sukarno / Greenpeace
