Featuring a keynote by Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter of the German Environmental Ministry
Date: 17 November 2026
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 (GMT+3)
Location: German Pavilion, COP31 | Antalya, Türkiye
Livestream Link here.
Caritas Germany, on behalf of the project Networks4conservation (Rede Cerrado, ASA, Rede Ecovida), and Plant-for-the-Planet invite media representatives to a high-level discussion on forest protection, community-led solutions and global climate justice at COP31.
Wildfires are spreading, deforestation continues, and extractive industries are placing increasing pressure on forest ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Protecting forests is essential to safeguarding human rights, biodiversity, global climate resilience and the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC). At the same time, IPLC are the primary stewards of many of the world’s most important forest ecosystems and are indispensable for their protection and resilience.
The side event “Confronting the Global Forest Emergency” will bring together political leaders, Indigenous representatives, and civil society voices to explore how international cooperation can translate forest protection commitments into tangible action on the ground.
Drawing on the experiences from Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia, the event will address key questions:
- What can we learn from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) about locally led solutions for forest protection and ecosystem restoration?
- What policies, partnerships and financing mechanisms are needed to strengthen effective and just solutions led by IPLC?
- How can Germany and other international partners ensure that global commitments lead to lasting change on the ground?
As a major donor and long-standing international partner, Germany has a crucial role to play in advancing equitable and effective (tropical) forest protection. The discussion will explore how international partnerships, policies and financing mechanisms can better support locally led solutions and ensure that commitments made in Belém and Antalya translate into concrete investments ahead of COP 32 in Addis Ababa in 2027.
Speakers and panelists
Keynote address: Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany.
The panel will bring together five experts with extensive experience in Indigenous rights, forest governance, community resilience and ecosystem restoration:
- Hiparidi Top Tiro – Indigenous leader of the A’uwẽ-Xavante people and General Coordinator of Rede Cerrado, Brazil. He advocates for Indigenous and traditional territories, ancestral knowledge and the protection of the Cerrado, a vital ecosystem for water security and biodiversity.
- Robert Agenonga – Elected member of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His work focuses on good governance, the protection of the Congo Basin’s tropical forests and the defence of human rights.
- Muluneh Tesfaye Lugo – Deputy Executive Director of Catholic Caritas Ethiopia. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, he champions climate justice, equitable partnerships, community-led development and climate resilience.
- Edson Krenak – Indigenous leader of the Krenak people, Brazil, and representative of the organisation Cultural Survival.
- Dr. Stefanie Pfahl – Deputy Director-General of Division IK I (International and Bilateral Cooperation), Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).
Panelists and representatives will be available for interviews after the event. If you are interested in speaking with a specific panelist or would like to get in touch with them, please reach out to us in advance.
To help us plan the event, we kindly ask you to register in advance at [email protected].
Press contact
Victoria Krumbeck | [email protected] | +49880892108131
Reiner Fritz | [email protected] | +49761200510
About Plant-for-the-Planet
Plant-for-the-Planet is a global initiative for climate action founded in 2007 by then nine-year-old Felix Finkbeiner. Through climate education, the organization empowers children and youth to take action and has trained more than 100,000 climate justice ambassadors across 76 countries. In close cooperation with local communities, Plant-for-the-Planet drives the science-based restoration of biodiverse forests. Alongside practical restoration work, the organization develops open-source software for reforestation projects. Plant-for-the-Planet also engages in political advocacy for effective forest protection and global climate justice.
