Forest Defenders at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Above: Hosted by actor and activist Alec Baldwin, the Forest Defenders event featured a panel of distinguished indigenous and interfaith leaders. Credit: Interfaith Rainforest Initiative

New York, USA

An event titled, “Forest Defenders: New Threats and New Responses” was held at UN Headquarters as an Interfaith Rainforest Initiative contribution to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The event, hosted by actor and activist Alec Baldwin, was attended by over 600 people, was webcast around the world and was covered widely by leading media outlets – New York Times, The Washington Post and others.  The event featured Ashaninka leader Benki Piyako, Rev. Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith; Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Gregorio Diaz Mirabal, Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica - COICA; Sonia Guajajara, Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil - APIB; Andy White, Rights & Resources Initiative; Carole Excell, World Resources Institute; Kichwa leader Patricia Gualinga; Leila Salazar-López, Amazon Watch; Alexander von Bismarck, Environmental Investigation Agency; Rukka Sombolinggi, Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago - AMAN; H.E. Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Affairs, Government of Canada; and H.E. Mona Juul, Ambassador to the United Nations, Government of Norway.