Fany Kuiru and Alicia Guzmán: The Fight to Prevent the Amazon’s Point of No Return
COICA reaffirms its regional leadership with the inclusion of Fany Kuiru, General Coordinator, among the 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action 2025, and acknowledges the work of Alicia Guzmán, Political Advisor, for her key role in defending the Amazon in international arenas.
The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) continues to strengthen its position as a central actor in the defense of the planet.
In 2025, its General Coordinator, Fany Kuiru Castro, was recognized among the 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action, a list promoted by Sachamama and EFEverde, highlighting those who lead solutions to the environmental crisis and climate misinformation.
From the Amazon, Fany Kuiru amplifies the territorial voices of Indigenous Peoples to the highest global decision-making spaces, reminding the world that there is no climate action without territorial rights, gender equality, and the recognition of ancestral knowledge.
Fany Kuiru: Territorial Voice of the Amazonian Indigenous Peoples
As the first woman to lead COICA in its more than 40-year history, Fany Kuiru embodies the collective strength of the Amazonian peoples from the nine countries of the basin.
Her leadership blends political advocacy, climate diplomacy, and the defense of life, weaving from the territories a narrative of hope, justice, and nature-based solutions.
Under her guidance, COICA has strengthened the participation of Indigenous women in regional governance, establishing gender parity as a guiding principle of its structures.
She also promotes the Indigenous economy as a forest protection mechanism through programs such as Amazon Fair Trade and Con Amazonía, which encourage community-led bioeconomy models.
Alicia Guzmán: Political Advocacy for a Living Amazon
COICA also highlights the strategic role of Alicia Guzmán, the organization’s Political Advisor, who has played an essential part in international conservation and restoration processes.
Guzmán was one of the promoters of Motion 126, approved at the 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress, which laid the foundation for the initiative Amazonia for Life: Let’s Protect 80% by 2025.
Her efforts continued in 2025 with Motion 068, approved at the recent World Conservation Congress, reinforcing the global commitment to protect and restore the Amazon by 2030—averting the point of no return.
These motions, driven by COICA’s collective action and the Amazonia for Life Coalition, set a precedent in environmental diplomacy, ensuring that the Amazon is recognized as a global common good and a cornerstone of the planet’s climate stability.
Amazonia for Life: Protect and Restore by 2030
The Amazonia for Life Coalition, led by COICA and over 800 partner organizations, seeks to protect 80% of the Amazon biome and restore degraded ecosystems by 2030.
This joint effort integrates science, policy, and Indigenous action to prevent the Amazon from crossing its tipping point—the moment when it would lose its ability to regenerate and regulate the global climate.
Through the campaign Amazonía Esencia Viva and the strengthening of the Indigenous Fund Amazonia for Life, COICA promotes community-based solutions, demonstrating that the most effective climate action begins in the territories.
United for a Just and Equitable Transition
The recognition of Fany Kuiru and the work of Alicia Guzmán reaffirm the leadership of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples in the global climate movement.
Both women embody a new kind of leadership—collective, equitable, and rooted in ecological and cultural restoration.
Their work demonstrates that the Amazon must not only be protected but also restored, guided by traditional knowledge and climate justice principles.