Representatives of traditional, Indigenous, and Quilombola communities, along with Brazilian socio-environmental organizations, have intensified their denunciations against the Grão-Pará Maranhão (GPM) mega logistic project. The project threatens territories, biodiversity, and human rights across more than 500 kilometers in Maranhão, Brazil. In addition to local meetings in Maranhão, members of organizations such as the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), Justiça nos Trilhos (JnT), and the Fishers Pastoral Council (CPP) brought their denunciations to Europe, engaging in events in Brussels, Geneva, and Paris to raise awareness of the devastating impacts of the project. These activities took place between November 18 and 28, including sessions at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, as well as meetings with Members of the European Parliament and European organizations, facilitated by Rettet den Regenwald e.V. (Save the Rainforest), Entraide & Fraternité, and CCFD – Terre Solidaire.  

 

The GPM project, which began in 2017 with an application for construction authorization, plans to build a deep-water port on Cajual Island in the municipality of Alcântara, occupying approximately 87% of the local Quilombola territory, which totals 1,630 hectares. Additionally, the project includes the construction of the EF-317 Railway, spanning 520 km to connect the port to the Carajás Railway and the North-South Railway. The project aims to  transport cargo such as iron, soybeans, wheat, corn, and other products for export.  

 

Mikael Carvalho, coordinator of Justiça nos Trilhos, stated, «after analyzing the documentation we managed to access, we concluded that the GPM project is unfeasible from both environmental and social perspectives. Many communities we work with would be severely affected, yet we discovered that most have never even heard of the project.» The western region of Maranhão, where the railway and port are planned, is part of the Amazon and includes the Reentrâncias Maranhenses, an environmental protection area internationally recognized under the Ramsar Convention. It is home to the world’s largest intact mangrove forest and endangered species such as the scarlet ibis. «In addition to impacting humans, the project destroys the region’s entire flora and fauna,» warned Mikael.  

 

Local Community Resistance 

During preliminary meetings in São Luís, capital of the state of Maranhão, representatives of Indigenous, Quilombola, and traditional communities discussed strategies to counter the project. In 2017, GPM attempted to negotiate directly with Quilombola communities, offering promises of housing and profit-sharing. However, Hilton Araújo de Melo, a federal prosecutor, emphasized that such agreements hold no legal validity without a free, prior, and informed consultation process, as required by the International Labour Organization’s Convention 169.  

 

Kumtum Akroá Gamella, an Indigenous leader, highlighted that the narrative of «development» masks a logic of violence and exploitation: «They say it’s for development, but what we see is a process of ‘dis-development’ that severs our relationships with the land, waters, and forest. When we talk about this violence, we are talking about our lives.» Gilberto Lima, from the CPP coordination, also underscored the impacts on fishing communities and the environment: «Maranhão, with its deep coastline, has been turned into a sacrifice zone for ports and industries that pollute rivers and mangroves, destroying artisanal fishing and biodiversity.»  

 

Denunciations Brought to Europe 

In Europe, the organizations reinforced their denunciations regarding the potential involvement of the German government, through Deutsche Bahn (DB), in financing the GPM via the Global Gateway program. «We are here to demand that European governments and companies refrain from financing projects of destruction,» emphasized Mikael. The delegation pointed out that Brazil ranks among the countries with the highest number of territory defenders murdered, reflecting the structural violence linked to such ventures.  

 

The Global Gateway program, launched by the European Union in 2023, was designed to position the EU as a leading actor in the economic development of its partner countries. The European Commission and the EU High Representative have described the «GG» as a new European strategy aimed at fostering smart, clean, and secure connections in digital technology, energy, transportation, education, and research. However, Fernanda Souto, a legal advisor for JnT, criticized Brazil’s energy transition model and its direct link to European financing for such projects: «An energy transition is urgent, but not at the cost of displacing communities and destroying territories. There is no forest without people. It is Indigenous peoples, Quilombolas, and traditional communities who keep the forest standing.»  

 

According to the report Who Benefits from the Global Gateway?, by the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), the GG framework has increasingly been used to redirect the EU development budget explicitly to support profitable projects for European companies and the Union’s geopolitical interests, rather than meeting fundamental development objectives outlined in treaties and policies, such as eradicating poverty and ending inequalities. «The GG promotes the privatization of infrastructure and public services in the energy sector in the Global South and risks increasing the debt burden of partner countries,» the report states.  

 

For Guilherme Cavalli, coordinator of the Mining Divestment Campaign, the public-private financing obtained through the Global Gateway program could exacerbate socio-environmental injustices in the Global South. «By focusing on areas that directly violate territories, such as logistics, energy, and mining, the European Union’s initiative will continue to impose a primary-export extractivist logic on these countries, aimed at supplying the European raw material supply chain,» said the member of the Churches and Mining Network. «Furthermore, these are not investments based on democratic and transparent principles, as evidenced by the lack of information and consultation regarding the potential involvement in the Grão-Pará Maranhão project.»

 

Demands and Mobilization

The communities demand the cancellation of the GPM project and the guarantee of their territorial rights. They also call for the acceleration of the demarcation of Indigenous and Quilombola lands, which has been historically delayed. «The fight for our territories is the fight for our lives and the preservation of all biodiversity. We didn’t come here as tourists; we came to demand justice,» concluded Kuntum.  

 

Among the demands presented, the agendas reinforced the need for direct and prior consultations with populations and communities potentially affected by development projects. This requirement aligns with the ILO Convention 169, which guarantees Indigenous and tribal peoples the right to free, prior, and informed consultation on measures affecting them directly.  

 

In meetings with Members of the European Parliament and senators in Geneva and Paris, leaders demanded that the Global Gateway program not be linked to projects that promote human rights and environmental violations or that are implemented without legitimate and comprehensive consultations.  

 

The mobilization continues nationally and internationally, with communities reaffirming their stance against a development model that prioritizes foreign profits at the expense of life and the environment in Brazil. In May, an initial delegation traveled to Berlin to engage with the German government about the involvement of the state-owned company in the project. On that occasion, the group sought dialogue with DB, which did not respond to the meeting request. A letter signed by organizations in Maranhão warning of the project’s potential risks and the communities’ rejection was delivered to the company’s headquarters.  

 

Watch the video: Territories Are Non-Negotiable: Germany Must Review Its Partnership with the Grão-Pará Maranhão Project 

 

The Anti-GPM coalition comprises organizations and movements such as Justiça nos Trilhos, CPT, CIMI, CPP, MABE, MOMTRA, MOQBEQ, MOQUIBOM, MAM, MST, CONFREM MA, UNICQUITA, Centro de Formação Saberes Ka’apor, Fórum Carajás, Justiça Global, Fundação Rosa Luxemburgo, the International Articulation of Those Affected by Vale, and Rettet den Regenwald (Save the Rainforest).