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MEETING WITH EMMANUEL MACRON
On 12 December, the delegation had the privilege of meeting the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. This reunion, following on from the meeting on 4 June 2023, was a crucial opportunity to rekindle and consolidate the ties between France and the indigenous peoples.
The President reiterated his commitment to preserving the Amazon, confirming not only the promise of financial assistance for the Xingu already mentioned last June, but also the implementation of a broader action plan for the Amazon as part of France's overall effort to preserve the world's three basins of tropical forests.
Raoni also took the opportunity to invite Macron to visit him in Xingu, an invitation which the President enthusiastically accepted and which he intends to honour during his state visit to Brazil in 2024.
MEETING WITH BRIGITTE MACRON
The following day, the Watatakalu cacique met France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, to discuss France's support for indigenous women. It was a highly symbolic meeting, as it was the very first time that a First Lady had received the indigenous leader. On this occasion, Madame Macron not only undertook to carry the voice of Amazonian women forward and to discuss this with the First Lady of Brazil during the President's trip to Brasilia in 2024, but also to visit the cacique in her community.
The trip to Paris was therefore an opportunity to make indigenous voices heard, both by the First Lady and by the President of the Republic, ahead of the forthcoming presidential trip to Brazil, during which the safeguarding of biodiversity and the rights of indigenous peoples will be at the heart of the discussions.
The fight to protect the Amazon is far from over, but thanks to the commitment of indigenous leaders, the AFV and the many partners involved, there is still hope for a better future in this region that is so vital to our planet.