“You Are Not Alone”: Clemente Flores on Solidarity with Daria and Natalia at COP17
Daria Egereva could not attend the UN biodiversity conference COP17 in Yerevan. Yet a place was kept for her at both a plenary meeting and the Indigenous Peoples’ caucus. Participants joined solidarity actions, wore campaign T-shirts and spoke about her and Natalia Leongardt. Daria’s portrait also appeared on a collective mural.
One participant who expressed his support was Clemente Flores, from the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin in Argentina’s Jujuy province. At COP17, he wore a T-shirt bearing Daria’s portrait and the words: “Speaking out is not a crime. Defending Indigenous rights is not terrorism.”
In answers to our questions, Flores explained why this solidarity matters personally to him and described the concerns of his community that he brought to the conference.
Support That Comes Full Circle
His decision to wear the T-shirt grew out of an experience of mutual support. Flores recalled that, while he was attending the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum in New York, experts from among the Indigenous Peoples of Russia supported his community’s struggle and demands.
“I felt that mutual support was very important, and wearing this T-shirt at COP17 was also a way to draw attention to their situation.”
For him, solidarity with Daria and Natalia means recognising their right to defend what they believe in.
“They have every right to defend what they feel in their hearts. It is something that cannot be explained in words. I am going through something similar in my own territory right now.”
Speaking about international solidarity, Flores expressed his wish for Indigenous Peoples to act together more often:
“How I wish our struggle were more collective, that we acted together!”
His own gesture at COP17 put that thought into practice: having received support for his community’s rights, he chose to support people who are now deprived of their freedom.
Bringing the Question of Water to the Negotiations
One subject that drew Flores to COP17 was Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. He said it had been discussed in Zoom meetings before the journey to Yerevan.
But his main intention was to explain what is happening in his own territory: the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin, on the high-altitude Puna plateau, in the region known as the lithium triangle.
According to Flores, there are more than 147 applications to develop deposits of lithium, rare earth elements and borates in this territory. The central concern for Indigenous communities is water.
“Where are they going to get the water for mining if there is already not enough even for us?”
For Flores, international environmental negotiations are directly connected to people’s lives in his territory: their access to water and their ability to influence decisions about its future.
Being Able to Attend Does Not Necessarily Mean Being Free to Speak
Asked about Indigenous Peoples’ freedom to participate in international negotiations, Flores drew attention to the role of technical specialists who attend on their behalf. In his view, they must allow Indigenous Peoples themselves to express their voices freely.
He also told us that he felt under pressure even while at the conference.
“Unfortunately, even while I am here, I feel pressure from the state, indifference and complicity on the part of municipal authorities, and constant pressure and intimidation linked to the claim that we supposedly have no international support.”
Flores said he had submitted several appeals but had received no response.
His testimony shows why international support matters beyond a public gesture. It helps counter isolation when people are told that nobody is interested in their struggle and that no one beyond their territory will hear them.
Her Place Remained Hers
At COP17, Daria’s absence was made visible: her portrait, bearing the word “Reserved”, was placed on an empty chair. A place was kept for her at both a plenary meeting and a meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ caucus, as we described in our earlier account of her reserved seat.
The sign recalled someone who should have been participating in the discussions but was instead in detention. It made an absence visible that could otherwise have been lost among speeches and negotiations.
Solidarity That Could Be Seen
Support took different forms. Alongside campaign T-shirts, solidarity actions at the conference drew attention to the persecution of rights defenders and called for Daria and Natalia’s freedom.
In one photograph, a participant holds a sign with Daria’s portrait and the word “Reserved”. Symbolic chains encircle her wrists and a mask covers her mouth. The image conveys what is difficult to express in the language of negotiating documents: a person’s lack of freedom and the suppression of their voice.
Daria also appeared on the collective mural presented at the conference. Her portrait is in its upper-left corner, alongside images of other activists. At the centre is the call “Close the justice gap”.
For our campaign, these gestures share a common meaning. They keep Daria and Natalia’s names present internationally and remind us that discussions about protecting nature must include protection for the people defending their communities’ rights.
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As attention turns to COP31 in Antalya, the absence of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt remains deeply felt. Both spent years helping bring Indigenous voices into international processes. While they remain detained in Russia, they cannot continue that work in person. The solidarity shown at COP17 carries a message for the next conference too: their voices must not be forgotten.
A Message from Argentina’s Puna
At the end of his answers to our questions, Flores addressed Daria and Natalia directly:
“I, Clemente Flores, am speaking to you from the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin, from the high-altitude Puna plateau in Jujuy province, Argentina. You are not alone! We always remember you and follow what is happening to you. Please accept a strong embrace, full of faith and support. We will succeed!”
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