United Nations and Indigenous Peoples Working Together for Our Planet – India Education | Latest Education News | Global educational news

Taking place in Marseille shortly before the definition of a new international biodiversity agenda for the next decade, the IUCN World Conservation Congress is a unique opportunity to shape ambition and galvanize needed action. It is also an opportune time to ensure that all knowledge systems are effectively considered and engaged to halt biodiversity loss while tackling climate change.

Oumarou Ibrahim, activist on behalf of her pastoral community Mbororo in Chad, gave her clear message to the IUCN World Conservation Congress during an event on the United Nations and the mobilization of indigenous and local knowledge.

The thematic event, co-organized by UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems program and the Commission for Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, was part of the quadrennial world congress organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature , from September 3 to 11. 2021 in Marseille, France.

The event was opened by Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, with two keynote speakers and a panel discussion with both UN staff and indigenous peoples from various parts of the planet. In his opening speech, Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification stressed that indigenous peoples and local communities depend on land and natural resources. Their cultures and economies rely on the conservation of these resources.

Indigenous leaders agreed that things have changed at the United Nations. Indigenous knowledge is recognized in climate and biodiversity forums. They noted the major progress made with the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystems (IPBES) which carries out scientific assessments on the state of the environment. Another major step forward was the launch of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

IPBES President Ana-Maria Hernandez joined the dialogue and stressed that the success of IPBES has come from the participation of indigenous peoples at all stages of the process. They are in dialogue in the design of assessments, and they provide authors and reviewers. She ended by emphasizing that everyone benefits from the fact that more knowledge systems are working together.

Speakers from the Arctic, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific all highlighted how important indigenous peoples are in caring for the planet. This is due to their knowledge, their value systems, their spirituality, their technical capacity and their systems of good governance. The United Nations system has recognized this, but there are major challenges to ensuring equitable participation in decision-making.

Speakers highlighted the precarious situation of land tenure and resources, serious human rights violations and threats to indigenous knowledge, in particular the loss of land. Ibrahim Oumarou demonstrated that indigenous peoples bear the costs of conservation while funds go elsewhere. She and other leaders have argued forcefully that indigenous peoples need access to direct funding.

Claude Gascon of the Global Environmental Facilitate (GEF) noted that this had been an important lesson for them in creating new funding streams for indigenous peoples. “We could see how important the work was on the ground, that the indigenous peoples were doing what was necessary but struggling to get the necessary resources. The GEF has launched new funding opportunities that scale to needs, but it must go on a scale that will empower indigenous peoples on the ground and in national and international policy spaces.

Jennifer Corpuz from the Nia Tero Foundation spoke about indigenous peoples’ expectations for the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework which is currently under negotiation. Corpuz called for indigenous peoples to be fully included in the post-2020 GBF agreement and its operational process. “We are knowledge holders; we preserve biodiversity. We need the Parties to the Convention to recognize our role and agree to a partnership, ”Corpuz explained.

Mechtild Rössler underlined how important indigenous peoples have been to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and have enriched the work of protecting cultural and natural heritage. “We learned how important Indigenous languages ​​are in passing on knowledge, culture and values ​​across generations. Next year, UNESCO will lead the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. It’s a great opportunity to take this work forward ”.

Johannes Refisch of the United Nations Environment Program spoke about his work with the indigenous peoples of Central Africa for the conservation of great apes. Refisch called for attention to the participation and employment of indigenous peoples in formal conservation.

“The knowledge of indigenous peoples is so important for conservation. Many of the trackers are indigenous people, but because they may not have been to school, they are marginalized. Indigenous knowledge must be recognized and, to the extent possible, certified so that it can have access to appropriate remuneration. Refisch said, speaking of his experience.

Refisch went on to say that UNEP welcomes close cooperation with indigenous peoples and UNESCO to ensure that issues relating to indigenous knowledge are part of the design and implementation of the Decade of Nations. United Nations for Ecosystem Restoration and the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Kevin Chang, executive director of the NGO Kua’aina Ulu ‘Auamo in Hawai’i, concluded the meeting with a traditional saying: We don’t learn everything in one school. He called on the United Nations, scientists, governments and indigenous peoples to continue to work with each other with respect, recognizing the unique cultures, knowledge and value systems of indigenous peoples.

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