Posted on November, 30 2023
1 December 2023, Dubai – Four Indigenous Peoples leaders, hailing from Africa, Asia and South America, will share a stage and call for fuller and more meaningful inclusion in the decision-making processes surrounding climate action.
Speaking at a press conference today, the four leaders are looking for this to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as negotiators move to critical discussions that will affect Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the world, as part of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) taking place in Dubai between 30 November and 12 December 2023.
SPEAKERS
- Teodoro ‘Teddy’ Brawner Baguilat Junior, President, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) Consortium
- Naw Ei Ei Min, Executive Council Member, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)
- Kleber Karipuna, Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) & Co-Chair to the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC)
- Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Indigenous woman from the Mbororo people of Chad and Co-chair of Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change
“We need a radical shift. Indigenous Peoples should not be on the fringes in this quest to limit and adapt to climate change. As historical custodians of natural resources and protectors of the environment, we are best placed to develop solutions. And yet we are underrepresented when climate decisions are made and allocated a tiny fraction of the available funding,” said Teodoro ‘Teddy’ Brawner Baguilat Jr., President, ICCA Consortium.
Indigenous Peoples have been custodians of their lands, waters and territories over generations and are often the first to face the direct consequences of climate change, due to their interdependence and close relationship with nature and its resources. Climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by indigenous communities including political and economic marginalization, loss of land and resources, human rights violations, discrimination and multidimensional poverty.
With their knowledge and first-hand experience, Indigenous Peoples provide valuable insight into climate action and are critical agents in strengthening effective nature-based solutions.
Acknowledging that priorities and demands of Indigenous Peoples can vary significantly among different communities and regions, WWF is committed to supporting platforms for multiple representatives to share their insights and to amplifying their voices. WWF calls for COP28 to ensure that “both Indigenous Peoples and local communities are appropriately supported within a rights-based approach to protect, govern and manage their traditional lands, enhance their traditional knowledge systems and sustain their livelihoods, as well as their contributions to address climate change and biodiversity loss. Indigenous Peoples and local communities should be integrally involved in the planning, design and implementation of climate actions” in its Expectations for UNFCCC COP28.
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Notes to Editors
For more information, contact Robin Harvey, WWF International, rharvey@wwfint.org, Whatsapp) +44 758 667 8350.
Press conference details:
1 December 2023, 12:30-13:00 UAE (UTC/GMT+4)
UNFCCC Press Conference 2, Building 77, B6, Blue Zone
This briefing will be live streamed and archived here: https://unfccc.int/event/wwf-37
Attendees in the room will be invited to ask questions after short speeches. Speakers will be available after the panel for further comment.