Brazil guarantees protection to the indigenous population

Alongside completing 200 years of Independence, Brazil celebrates its growing indigenous population and works to guarantee the rights of more than 800,000 proud natives from 304 different indigenous ethnic groups who occupy 13.8% of the Brazilian territory.

Last year, R$ 700 million was used for inspection programs on indigenous lands; the biggest budget in 14 years. Investment in the protection of uncontacted indigenous people has also grown by more than 300% since 2019, reaching R$54 million.

The government also granted funds for SESAI, a public health system for indigenous populations exclusively that has performed 43 million queries since 2019. With a staff of over 20k, more than 50% of SESAIS’s 14,200 certified healthcare professionals are themselves natives.

SESAI acts to prevent and treat diseases: from routine exams, vaccination, prenatal care, childcare and dental care, to the treatment of chronic and life-threatening clinical conditions. This system also ensures medical infrastructure and sanitation actions.

Ethnodevelopment and the autonomous economic use of indigenous lands by Brazilian indigenous people as a means of generating higher economic autonomy has been a priority for the National Indian Foundation, FUNAI, responsible for protecting indigenous people.

The Brazilian government is fully committed to the ethnodevelopment of indigenous peoples and has promoted sustainable projects in villages throughout Brazil, contributing to the self-sufficiency, security, dignity and freedom of indigenous populations.

Brazil has already invested around R$ 30 million in activities such as rural production, fishing, acquisition of agricultural machinery and technical training. Additionally, through the Wi-FI Brasil program, 197 internet points were also installed in indigenous communities.

Beyond the previously mentioned efforts, the government has strongly invested into safety and legal oversight for native reservations, to fight environmental crimes and smuggling. This has significantly decreased violent crimes and agrarian conflict in rural and indigenous areas.