At COP30, French Guiana official points out Macron’s contradiction on Indigenous peoples

By Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium

BELÉM (PA) – The first vice president of the Territorial Collectivity of Guiana (CTG) — the local government of the territory — Jean-Paul Ferreira, while celebrating the beginning of a new cooperation among Amazonian territories, criticized the fact that France still does not recognize Indigenous peoples in its Constitution, which leaves them on the margins of national public policies. The leader also criticized President Emmanuel Macron, who has taken international stances in defense of Indigenous peoples, but whose attitude, according to Ferreira, is not reflected in the treatment given to these communities within French territory itself.

The statement was made during a meeting with the governor of Amapá, Clécio Luís (Solidariedade), in the Blue Zone corridors of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), in Belém, on Monday afternoon, the 10th, before the opening of the Amazon Hub, at the pavilion of the Consortium of Governors of the Legal Amazon.

French Guiana is an overseas territory of France, bordering Brazil to the south and east and Suriname to the west, with Cayenne as its capital. About 95% of its total area is covered by the Amazon rainforest, and its population blends European cultural elements with Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous influences. Since April 2015, French Guiana has ceased to be an overseas department of France and became the Territorial Collectivity of Guiana (CTG). Although it remains French territory, it gained greater administrative autonomy.

In addition to discussing the importance of regional cooperation, Ferreira reported the difficulties faced by Indigenous peoples in French Guiana and, for that reason, has sought to establish new partnership agreements with the State of Amapá, focused on bioeconomy and logistics development.

“It is very complicated in Guiana because the French State does not recognize Indigenous populations in its Constitution. So there is a people in France who are very, very different from Brazil and who are not sufficiently considered in the various public policies in Guiana and in France,” criticized the leader.

In March 2024, Macron visited Belém, where he met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chief Raoni at an event related to COP30. On that occasion, the French president signed with Lula the ‘Belém Call’ (Brazil–France Call for Climate Ambition from Paris to Belém and Beyond), which aimed to support the climate agenda, the preservation of the Amazon, and the appreciation of Indigenous peoples. Macron acknowledged the importance of the Amazon and pledged support and investments in the region’s bioeconomy.

In Ferreira’s opinion, the French president maintains an international discourse in defense of Indigenous peoples, but this stance does not materialize within French territory — a contradiction that, according to him, has historically led Guianese citizens to demand constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples from the French State. In addition to the Indigenous communities of Guiana, another French overseas territory is New Caledonia, in Oceania, home to the Kanak people. France, however, adopts a unitary nation-state model that historically avoids recognizing ethnic or specific minority communities, prioritizing the formal equality of all citizens before the law.

“The Macron government, President Macron, indeed made an international statement about Indigenous populations, whether in the Amazon or in other territories, but he does not deliver the same discourse within his own French territory. That is the problem for the original populations. A total contradiction between what he presents internationally and what he does at the national level,” stated Ferreira, who is also Indigenous and presides over the Regional Natural Park of Guiana.

When meeting Governor Clécio Luís at COP30, the territorial leader of Guiana — who holds a position equivalent to that of vice governor — highlighted the importance of the event taking place in Belém. “What we must especially remember is that COP30, which is happening today in Belém, is not an end in itself, but the beginning of something: the strengthening of the relationship among the different territories,” he emphasized.

Cooperation with Amapá

Governor Clécio Luís highlighted that Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, and French Guiana share the same Amazon, with its wealth and challenges. Therefore, the cooperation agreement with CTG is an essential tool to face these challenges together. The Guianese delegation at COP30 includes more than 100 people in the capital of Pará.

“This COP is different: it is being discussed and debated by Amazonians, which makes all the difference for the Amazon itself, for those who live here, and also for the world. Until now, in 29 COPs, everyone spoke of the Amazon without knowing the Brazilian Amazon, the French Guianese, the Surinamese one, and so on. For the first time, we are discussing with global authorities and heads of state, with the significant participation of Amazonians from various nationalities, and this will make all the difference,” stated Clécio, praising the size of the Guianese delegation.

For Ferreira, the relations between Guiana and Amapá are historical and must be strengthened over time, especially given the perspective of oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin. The cooperation agreement covers several areas.

“It is a matter of bioeconomy, of logistics, because Macapá will have an extraordinary economic boom with oil exploration. This should, of course, benefit the State of Amapá, but also us, as its neighbors, in Guiana,” concluded the leader.

Edited by Adrisa de Góes
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves