Bolsonaro: 'new chapter of hope' is needed for indigenous people - Oxfam agrees

Publié: 24th septembre 2019

In response to President Bolsonaro’s General Debate remarks, Oxfam Brazil Executive Director Katia Maia said:

"Oxfam Brazil receives with apprehension the statement of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at the opening of the 74th United Nations General Assembly. Instead of admitting mistakes and indicating solutions for the chaotic environmental situation in Brazil, he preferred to make accusations towards indigenous people, international media, NGOs and other countries. The Amazon forest is burning not due to 'indigenous and local population cultural practices' as he said today. It's burning because he, the president of Brazil, gave several signs that the big farmers on the region are allowed to do so. And if his government is so committed to environmental protection, why is he cutting public funding to the agencies that work on the field doing exactly that? 
 
"Bolsonaro said also that a 'new chapter of hope' is needed for the indigenous people, and Oxfam agrees. But they have first to be protected from the ones that want them out of their lands and that have been killing them for generations so they can expand their agriculture lands. And that chapter must be written by the indigenous people themselves."

Contact

Attila Kulcsar  |  attila.kulcsar@oxfam.org  |  +1 646 327-2199

Lauren Hartnett  |  lauren.hartnett@oxfam.org  |  +1 203-247-3920

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