This Wednesday (22), Enock Taurepang, Vice Coordinator of CIR and Leader Maria Betânia Macuxi, attended the event celebrating 40 years of partnership of the Norwegian Program for Support to Indigenous Peoples of the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), in addition to the reception of the Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment, Mr. Espen Bath Eide. The Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara was also present, as well as indigenous leaders and organizations from all over Brazil.
Together with the CIR and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, it works to support indigenous women through the promotion and valorization of traditional medicine, meetings, assemblies, and the provision of equipment to regional indigenous centers and security groups, in this case, the Indigenous Territorial Protection and Surveillance Group (GPVTI).
According to Betânia, the Minister's presence and speech reinforced the mission of Brazil's indigenous peoples and partners in preserving the environment.
“It was a very important moment with the presence of several partners and leaders from other states. In this 40-year period in Brazil, and together with our organization, there have been twenty years of support. This reinforces and strengthens the foundations, especially human development. Not only for our organization, but mainly for the grassroots. Better days will come, and the indigenous peoples are certainly showing their capacity and what they truly aspire to. Always thinking about the well-being of our people. The partners certainly contribute and are by our side,” Maria emphasized.
Enock Taurepang, who previously served as General Coordinator of CIR and is currently the Executive Vice Coordinator, closely followed the organization's evolution alongside its collaborators. He conducted surveys within the communities, listening to their guidance on how and where support could be applied. After the event, he said:
“The Indigenous Council of Roraima and its 263 indigenous communities were delighted with this invitation and partnership. And we are grateful for the Embassy's support during turbulent times, which was fundamental in allowing us to continue supporting our communities and developing our activities within indigenous territories. We hope that this collaborative work continues to strengthen, and we look forward to the day when a representative from Norway visits our organization, or perhaps even one of our centers located within indigenous lands. I thank Kristian Bengtson, Indigenous Peoples Program Officer, and Luciano Padrão, External Advisor of the Norwegian Indigenous Peoples Support Program, who facilitates this dialogue between the CIR and the embassy. We are happy to be part of these 40 years of activity within Brazil, especially in Roraima.”
