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PART 2
The Mayor of Paris invited Grand Chief Raoni, the Watatakalu Yawalapiti cacique and the Yabuti and Paxton Metuktire caciques to the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which took place from December 10 to 11, 2023. In partnership with the Alliance pour la Préservation des Forêts, AFV took advantage of the occasion to organize a series of meetings with various media and political figures, including President Emmanuel Macron.
MEETING WITH THE MAYOR OF PARIS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
On December 10, the caciques first met President Macron at the Palais Chaillot, the emblematic site of the adoption of the Universal Declaration in 1948, before heading to the Eiffel Tower for a festive dinner to which all honorary citizens of the city of Paris were invited by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to continue celebrating this historic moment in human history.
Raoni then had the honor of closing the International Conference for Human Rights organized by the Mairie de Paris on Monday December 11, to share his powerful message and call to action, reminding the world that defending the environment and defending indigenous rights are inseparable.
BEST GALA COCKTAIL AND DINNER WITH THE DELEGATION
On the evening of December 11, Watatakalu and Raoni were invited to the Best Gala Cocktail, where Chief Raoni received an honorary award for his tireless commitment to the Amazon.
AFV and the Alliance pour la Préservation des Forêts then organized a dinner attended by business leaders and representatives of associations, giving participants the opportunity to talk with the native delegation and discuss future collaborations. A photo session was also organized with artist Marylou Berry as part of her "Born in PPM" project.
BUSINESS LEADERS' BREAKFAST AND PRIVATE TOUR OF THE LOUVRE
On December 12, Raoni, Yabuti and Watatakalu addressed a breakfast meeting with some twenty business leaders to share their concerns about the state of the Amazon. They called on companies to support their efforts to safeguard biodiversity and the forest. The event was also an opportunity for AFV to talk to potential donors to find new partners to sustain the preservation programs on the ground in 2024 and beyond.
Watatakalu was then received by Anne-Solène Rolland, Director of the Quai Branly Museum, who honored her with a private tour of the Quai Branly pieces currently on display at the Louvre as part of a comparative exhibition on non-Western and Western traditional art.
DISCUSSION WITH THE MAYOR OF NICE, CHRISTIAN ESTROSI
Grand Chief Raoni met the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, on December 12. Mr. Estrosi invited Raoni to be the patron of the Ocean 2025 event, which brings together the world's heads of state and mayors. The possibility of staging an exhibition on indigenous lifestyles during the event was also discussed.
The Mayor reiterated the City of Nice's support in the fight to preserve the Amazon, notably through potential financial aid, and stressed the importance of international cooperation, particularly at local level, in resolving global environmental challenges. In 2014, Mr. Estrosi visited the Xingu region and witnessed first-hand the destruction caused by deforestation.
WORKING MEETING WITH EMMANUEL MACRON
The delegation once again had the privilege of meeting French President Emmanuel Macron. This reunion, following on from the visit on June 4, 2023, was a crucial opportunity to rekindle and consolidate ties between France and the indigenous peoples of Amazonia.
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 the Xingu, an invitation the President enthusiastically accepted, and which he intends to honor during his state visit to Brazil scheduled for 2024.
LUNCH WITH THE KRETZ FAMILY AND CONFERENCE AT SCIENCES PO
The indigenous delegation also shared a family lunch with the Kretz family, known thanks to their show "L'Agence" broadcast on Netflix, a moment rich in exchanges that enabled them to discuss the role of Westerners in supporting the fight of indigenous peoples, in particular, in highlighting their message and giving them opportunities to bring their voices to the public, without taking their place.
Cacique Watatakalu also had the privilege of discussing the significance and crucial importance of women's leadership in preserving the Amazon and its rich indigenous culture at Sciences Po Paris on Tuesday December 12.
In front of an audience of 150 students, Watatakalu shared her experiences as a cacique and representative of indigenous women, underlining the essential role she plays in amplifying female voices too often silenced. The conference ended with a standing ovation from the students.
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AFV thanks its partner, the Alliance pour la Préservation des Forêts. The Alliance pour la Préservation is a collective of companies committed to sustainable, traceable and environmentally-friendly raw materials. Our mission is to bring together in a single coalition all the players who make a living from the forest or whose activities have an impact on it, in order to support and invent management and cultivation methods that ensure its sustainable preservation. Convinced that everyone has a role to play in raising awareness and making progress, some forty companies have already joined this initiative, which brings together both large corporations and smaller players, driven by the same ambition to combat deforestation.
