NO to TFFF, YES to Forest Rights

Statement from Civil Society Organizations on the Launch of the Fund for Tropical Forests Forever

[You can find the statement in Português, Español, English, Bahasa Indonesia in the google form]

Belém, November 2025

Brazilian, Amazonian, Asian, African and international civil society organizations, gathered on the occasion of COP 30, express their deep concern and rejection of the launch of the Fund for Tropical Forests Forever (TFFF), announced by the Conference Presidency, for the following reasons:

The TFFF’s profitability is not guaranteed, and in the event of a decline in profits, payments will be made first to the fund’s managers and consultants, then to private investors, then to the sponsoring wealthy countries, and finally to the countries with tropical forests. Therefore, while there is a possibility of supporting traditional peoples and communities, the amount of resources is neither assured nor sufficient.
The TFFF is the twin of carbon markets like REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation +). They are not identical, but both are false solutions that respond to market logic, they are greenwashing mechanisms destined for private investors polluters, and are a distraction from the effective fight against deforestation.
putting a price on the ecosystem services of tropical forests to attract private investment. The ecological collapse caused by capitalism will not be solved with more capitalism.
The TFFF does not recognize forests as living systems that have the rights to life, to preserve their life cycles, to maintain their capacity for regeneration, to not be polluted, to conserve their integrity, and to demand timely remediation and restoration.
The TFFF does not seek to address the true structural causes of forest destruction. It does not propose effective measures to curb and reverse agricultural, mining, and hydrocarbon extraction, nor the expansion of mega-infrastructure projects.
The TFFF will operate like any commercial bank: obtaining loans of $125 billion at an interest rate of approximately 4%, and lending that money at a rate of approximately 7%. From the difference between these interest rates, it intends to generate $4 billion annually to distribute $4 per hectare of standing forest to the governments of the countries where 1 billion hectares of tropical forests are located.
The TFFF is a mechanism for privatizing forest finance. If only 1% of the $2.7 trillion in public funds spent on defense budgets worldwide were allocated, $27 billion could be made available annually. That’s more than six times the $4 billion per year that the TFFF would generate based on unsafe stock markets!
The TFFF does not prioritize indigenous peoples and local communities, nor does it establish gender and intergenerational equity in the allocation of resources. 80% of the $4 per hectare will go to national governments, while only 20% (80 cents) will go to those who actually defend and preserve tropical forests.
The TFFF is not a mechanism that originated in the Global South, nor was it built from the ground up with the participation of forest peoples. The idea for this mechanism of financializing nature was conceived more than 15 years ago at the World Bank – thus it is NOT a South led mechanism.
The World Bank will have significant influence over the TFFF. The wealthy countries that sponsor this mechanism will hold a majority on its board. Developing countries and civil society will have no decision-making power in the governance of the TFFF.

In contrast to the TFFF, the undersigned call for the construction of effective mechanisms against deforestation that:

Address the structural causes of deforestation.
Establishes effective actions for forest recovery and restoration.
Are sufficient, directly accessible without intermediaries, and come from public funds, such as those allocated to defense budgets and fossil fuel subsidies.
Are reliable and not dependent on stock market fluctuations.
Are primarily directed toward Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and populations that conserve forests.
Strengthen community management and conservation mechanisms to build territories and municipalities free from deforestation, extractivism and violence against women.
Include governing bodies where Indigenous Peoples and local community organizations have real decision-making power.
Recognize Forests, Rivers, and Nature as subjects of rights and implement effective measures to guarantee their rights.

Signature form: https://forms.gle/RaaD3Wti9KhJuUuR6

[You can find the statement in Português, Español, English, Bahasa Indonesia in the google form]

NO to TFFF, YES to Forest Rights

LIVESTREAM

Indigenous Rising Radio