Briefing Information
Recording: Please find the briefing recording here (Spanish).
COP16 Expert Briefing: Afro-Descendant Peoples' Role in Biodiversity Conservation | Latin America, Caribbean
Media Contacts
Media Resources
Media Advisory (English)
Photos (Credit: Darwin Torres - Proceso de Comunidades Negras)
Additional photos (Credit: Rafael Martins)
Research
At COP16
The following colleagues will be on the ground at COP16 in case interview coordination or media support is needed:
Coimbra Sirica: [email protected] // WhatsApp: +1 (301) 943-3287
Abubakr Uqdah: [email protected] // WhatsApp: +1 (202) 553-0314
Florence Wood: [email protected] // WhatsApp: +44 7491 147576
Spokespeople
To coordinate interviews with the experts listed below, please email Abubakr Uqdah ([email protected]) or Andrea Rizkallah ([email protected]).
Esther Ojulari, PhD, is the Co-Director of the Baobab Center for Racial, Gender, and Environmental Justice in Cali, Colombia. Her work focuses on Afro-descendant rights, particularly around reparations and territorial claims, and she has advised the Colombian government on racial justice issues.
John Antón Sánchez, PhD, is a scholar and activist deeply involved in Afro-descendant rights in Colombia. He has conducted research and advocacy through the Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN), focusing on the historical and territorial rights of Afro-Colombian communities.
José Absalón Suárez Solís is a researcher and member of Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN) in Colombia. His work centers on the protection of Afro-descendant rights and land claims, contributing to scholarly and community-led discussions on racial justice.
Francileia Paula de Castro is a Quilombola researcher and agricultural engineer from Brazil. She specializes in land rights and sustainable agriculture for Quilombola communities, focusing on agroecology and rural development initiatives in Afro-Brazilian territories.
Francisco Otávio Bittencourt de Sousa serves as a project advisor to the National Coordination for the Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (CONAQ) in Brazil. His work emphasizes the defense of land rights and the preservation of cultural heritage in Quilombola communities, alongside efforts to secure legal recognition for their territories.