Once again, the Afro-descendant population is being auctioned off as bargaining chips in international negotiations at COP16, the Conference on Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia. The document for the recognition, full, and effective participation of Afro-descendant peoples, which was advancing in negotiations, has been hijacked by the European Union. Geledés – Institute of Black Women, alongside other Afro-descendant organizations, advocates for the proper recognition of Afro-descendant peoples as historical actors in the conservation and sustainable use of the biomes in which they live. And in yet another colonialist chapter by the European Union, they are blocking the possibility of securing rights and recognition for this historically marginalized population.
