“Brazil is Back, but…”—The Lula Administration’s First 100 Days: What Is the Situation Regarding Human Rights and Amazon Protections?
Presented in collaboration with Amazon Watch
After narrowly defeating the rightwing extremist Jair Bolsonaro last year, Lula da Silva began his third presidential term by reaffirming Brazilian democracy, the rule of law, and reinstating critical socio-environmental protections to reverse the Amazonian catastrophe unleashed by his predecessor. Despite these very positive steps, Lula’s administration faces a myriad of challenges as entrenched interests work to undermine its agenda. What does this scenario portend for the future of the world’s largest rainforest? Moderated by Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director, Amazon Watch. With: Christian Poirier, Program Director, Amazon Watch; Indigenous youth activist and media maker Eric Terena (aka DJ Eric Marky); Priscila Tapajowara (Tapajó I Brazil) an Amazon-born Indigenous rights and climate activist, photographer and documentary filmmaker; Ana Paula Vargas, Brazil Program Director at Amazon Watch.
Magnes Museum
April 7th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm
Panelists
Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director
Amazon Watch
Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch since 2015, leads the organization in its work to protect and defend the bio-cultural and climate integrity of the Amazon rainforest in solidarity with Indigenous and forest peoples. For 25+ years Leila has worked to defend the world’s rainforests, human rights, and climate through grassroots organizing and international advocacy campaigns at Amazon Watch, Rainforest Action Network and Global Exchange. She is also a Global Fund for Women Advisor for Latin America, a Greenpeace Voting Member and serves on the Advisory Circle of Daughters of the Earth. (amazonwatch.org)
Christian Poirier
Program Director
Amazon Watch
Christian Poirier, who has 20+ years’ experience in international development focused on environmental, agrarian and social justice issues, is a senior member of Amazon Watch’s team who has coordinated its Brazil Program since 2009, helping lead international solidarity campaigns to halt the construction of large dams in the Amazon and to pressure the global private sector to cease its complicity in environmental destruction and human rights abuses in the region. While managing Amazon Watch’s Paris office, Christian partnered with European NGOs on Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns, and prior to joining Amazon Watch, he assisted Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement and managed rural development and micro enterprise projects in West Africa.
Eric Terena
Co-Founder
Midia India
Eric Terena (aka DJ Eric Marky), an Indigenous youth activist and media maker, co-founder of Midia India (an Indigenous communication collective), is a member of Youth4Climate and was responsible for the audiovisual coverage of the participation of Indigenous leaders from Brazil at the United Nations Climate Change conferences COP25 and COP26. Eric is also a specialist in ethno-media and works with Indigenous singers.
Priscila Tapajowara
Indigenous Rights and Climate Activist
Priscila Tapajowara (Tapajó I Brazil), born in Santarém in the Amazon, is an Indigenous rights and climate activist, photographer, film director and producer who has been using audiovisual tools for 9 years to fight in defense of the Amazon. She has been the cinematographic director of a number of documentaries in Brazil; a producer of the Latin American Film Festival CineAlter; a coordinator and communicator at Mídia India; and Vice-President of the Instituto Território das Artes.
Ana Paula Vargas
Brazil Program Director
Amazon Watch
Ana Paula Vargas, Brazil Program Director at Amazon Watch, has been working for 20+ years on communications and culture, human rights, and social justice issues in Brazil. She has collaborated with the press, local NGOs, the Brazilian government and international institutions to support and promote projects from popular associations, social movements and grassroots organizations. In the United States, as a member of the US Network to Defend Democracy in Brazil, she has organized advocacy and resistance to threats to human rights, to the Amazon rainforest and to Indigenous people, organizing rallies in alliance with other organizations and activists fighting for climate justice.
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