Upholding the Principles of the Amazon Soy Moratorium Is Essential for Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Financial Stability

The Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) of the Banks and Biodiversity Initiative calls on financial institutions to maintain the zero-deforestation criteria of the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM) to mitigate biodiversity loss, protect Indigenous Peoples' rights, and manage financial risks.

• The Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) of the Banks and Biodiversity Initiative urges financial institutions to uphold the zero-deforestation criteria of the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM), arguing that these principles are essential for risk management and adherence to global norms, despite the rollback of the agreement due to Brazilian political interests.
• The ASM is described as a practical, evidence-based tool that has functioned for twenty years to reduce climate risk, curb biodiversity loss, and prevent human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples. Soy expansion into forests is linked to land encroachment, tenure insecurity, conflict, and the erosion of Indigenous governance.
• Abandoning the ASM's 2008 cut-off and zero-deforestation standards would increase financial exposure to transition risks, legal and regulatory issues, reputational damage, land conflicts, and stranded assets, while potentially conflicting with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• The IAG supports the Forest & Finance Coalition's demand that financial institutions ensure their financed companies adhere to ASM principles, implement farm-level traceability, treat all Amazon deforestation (legal or illegal) as incompatible with financing, and integrate Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into due diligence.

APA

Fox, A. (2026). Upholding the Principles of the Amazon Soy Moratorium Is Essential for Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Financial Stability. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/news/amazon-soy-moratorium/

Chicago

Fox, Audrey. Upholding the Principles of the Amazon Soy Moratorium Is Essential for Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Financial Stability. Friends of the Earth, 2026. https://foe.org/news/amazon-soy-moratorium/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fox |first1=Audrey |title=Upholding the Principles of the Amazon Soy Moratorium Is Essential for Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Financial Stability |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=19 February 2026 |url=https://foe.org/news/amazon-soy-moratorium/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fox2026upholding, author = {Fox, Audrey}, title = {{Upholding the Principles of the Amazon Soy Moratorium Is Essential for Biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Financial Stability}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://foe.org/news/amazon-soy-moratorium/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }