Txai Suruí

Txai Suruí is a member of the Paiter Suruí Indigenous community of Rondônia, Brazil, and one of the most widely recognised activists defending the environment and human rights in the Amazon. She is the founder of the Indigenous Youth Movement of Rondônia, and also works with the environmental association Kanindé which has been struggling for more than thirty years to defend the rights of Indigenous communities in the state of Rondônia. Txai Suruí was the first woman of her community to obtain a law degree. This enabled her to lead a lawsuit against the Brazilian government for violating the Paris Agreements. In 2021, she became known internationally when she participated in the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Since then, she has spoken at climate and human rights conferences and meetings at, inter alia, Science Po in Paris, the United States Congress and the European and British parliaments. She also works with several media outlets in Brazil and was an executive producer of the documentary The Territory, which was preselected for the Oscars. In 2023 she appeared in the Time100 Next list which recognises her as one of the future leaders in the climate and human rights domains. Like other Indigenous activists, Txai Suruí has received death threats.