IR Global & Sinchi: working to make a difference

IR Global founding philosophy is based on making a positive difference in the business world and to instigate meaningful social impact.

For this purpose, in 2015, the founder of IR, Tom Wheeler created a charity called the Sinchi Foundation that focuses on Indigenous rights, the preservation of cultural and the protection of nature.

Over the years, IR has been proud to sponsor and collaborate with members through multiple initiatives to achieve tangible results. Addressing human rights violations, illegal actions in the Amazon and providing the tools / resources to those on the frontlines of protecting the environment.

The network in action

我们的全球网络通过以下方式支持Sinchi实现其目标。

我们的 "一小时账单 "计划。捐助成员每年捐出相当于一小时咨询的经济价值。筹集的资金分配给土著人主导的项目。
Access to Justice; Creation of Forest Guardians sponsorship model. IR member firms directly supporting Indigenous communities with the tools and resources needed to defend their territories.
分享原住民的故事以及他们在保护生物多样性方面发挥的重要作用。提高曝光率，扩大最需要的人的声音。
让客户参与/连接我们的倡议；为世界各地志同道合的个人和企业创建一个社区，以实现合作目的。

如果你想了解更多，请联系[email protected]。

关于

据估计，世界上有3.7亿土著人，生活在90个国家。他们占世界人口的不到5%，占最贫穷人口的15%，但却保护着世界80%以上的生物多样性。

他们讲世界上约7,000种语言中的绝大多数，代表5,000种不同的文化。时至今日，他们仍然保留着与他们所处的主流社会不同的社会、文化、经济和政治特征。

几个世纪以来，他们一直在寻求承认自己的身份、生活方式以及对传统土地和自然资源的权利，但在整个历史上，他们的权利一再受到殖民国家、采掘业和其他形式剥削的侵犯。

他们的抵抗运动和求助呼声往往被忽视，这就是为什么我们需要团结一致。既要保护这些被边缘化的文化、他们所代表的遗产，又要保护环境，为全人类服务！"。

Treesistance Initiative

Treesistance was launched in 2023 as a new platform for the foundations work in the Amazon.

Treesistance is a movement and an impact blueprint centered on the protection of the Amazon and other tropical forests of the world. Working at the intersection where Indigenous knowledge and science meet. We create disruptive models that have long lasting tangible impact. The mission to revolutionise forest crime prevention, the protection of global biodiversity and how the world interacts with nature.

Treesistance distributes resources directly to the Indigenous people on the frontlines of the climate battle. All activities are Indigenous-Led and ran in consultation with the relevant Indigenous representative bodies in the region. Our mission is to stop the destruction of primary rainforest, protect biodiversity and uphold human rights.

Read More Via the Website.

Access to Justice and the Forest Guardians Model

The access for justice model was created by Dr. Tim Boekhout van Solinge, the Head of Forest Crime Prevention for the Treesistance. Tim is a criminologist specialised in forest and wildlife crime, illegal markets, and rule of law. He is a UN consultant and a research fellow at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and UFOPA University in Brazil. He has been active in the Brazilian Amazon since 2003. It comprising of 3 parts;

Demarcating lands / Land Rights

Depending on the situation/land rights status of the community, they may first need to demarcate and make the necessary land right claims through the courts. This can be a long process, however the good news is when a land claim is processed in the court, it automatically freezes the land which makes it illegal for any extractive industry to continue cutting down the forest. In most cases the claim should be accepted (the Brazilian constitution upholds Indigenous peoples rights).

This first step is essential to prove the illegality of deforestation by individuals or corporations extracting resources.

Formation of Indigenous Forest Guardians

Each group of Forest Guardians consists of many members. Both male and female and ranging from the chief to teachers to students. They are provided training by Chief Dadá and his team (Indigenous peer to peer training) in using the technical equipment, de-escalation / safe confrontational techniques and safety. The amount of people here is vital as they need to outnumber those encroaching illegally. One person will take pictures with the GPS camera to take evidence of illegal activities, the location (gps provides exact coordinators for federal police) whilst the other members are spread out and documenting the exchange with mobile cameras for security.

The emphasis here is protection through prevention. This is the best deterrent and method to stop deforestation.

Access to Justice – Relationship Development with public prosecutors and federal police.

Perhaps the most important but often overlooked part is action/implementation. Showing illegality, monitoring deforestation, and even building evidence doesn’t mean anything if the evidence is not acted upon. And this requires the backing and support of strong institutions.

Our Strategies have been developed with public prosecutors, federal police and legal collectives on the ground over the last decade and ensure that when illegal activity is documented, the necessary action will be taken. This may involve federal police for removal and arrests to the appropriate legal actions to remove permits to hold larger corporations accountable.

Accountability is essential in ensuring not just to stop current activities but to highlight that these acts will not go unpunished.

Sponsors

A special thanks to the headline sponsors of this initiative who have provided funding for 6 new Forest Guardian units in different territories to be created.