Voices of the Earth and Global Alliances: GARN's Indigenous Council at NY Climate Week

The participation of GARN’s Indigenous Council at the recent NY Climate Week represented an invaluable opportunity to build bridges, weave support networks, and connect with Indigenous organizations and leaders from around the world. During this gathering, key leaders Casey Camp Horinek, Julia Horinek, Leonardo Cerda, and Quetza Ramirez joined in deep conversations about current challenges and collective strategies for the protection of our territories. These are some of the key points raised by the Indigenous Council:

Beyond Laws: Worldview as a Guide

The Rights of Nature are not merely a legal movement; it represents a way to make visible our sacred and deep relationship with the earth, water, forests, and everything that sustains us. This intangible reality reflects our culture, our identity, and the reason for our presence in these spaces. Facing the climate crisis, it is vital to speak out against false solutions:

Carbon and biodiversity markets: Many of these projects end up generating direct conflicts and impacts in territories.
Technological advancement and Artificial Intelligence (AI): As youth, we must stay vigilant regarding how AI can become a new form of extractivism that affects water and deepens long-term crises. Clear boundaries must be set.

Ancestral Wisdom and Youth: A Shared Path

Nothing can be built without the backing and guidance of our elders; walking hand in hand with them is essential. Solving our issues requires deep intercultural communication that weaves together ancestral wisdom with the vision of new generations. Inspiring initiatives such as rights recognition in Panama, defense of Antarctica, or community ecotourism projects (such as working with bees) demonstrate that the path to change is already underway.

Consolidating Our Network

This meeting marks a decisive step in the Indigenous Council’s work to consolidate a solid and collaborative support network. In this process, Sydney Males has been responsible for collecting information and systematizing data to welcome new members joining the GARN Indigenous Council assembly. We continue building alliances from the root, prioritizing the worldview of our territories and the wisdom that remains latent to care for our world.