Adoption will commence work in building pathways and conducting activities to promote Indigenous participation in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
Madrid, Spain - December 10, 2019 - Indigenous Peoples around the world lift up the efforts of the Facilitative Working Group (FWG), in particular the Indigenous members, and welcome the full-adoption of the two-year Work Plan of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (the Platform). In recognition of the need to advance perspectives, knowledge and practices of Indigenous Peoples in relation to climate action. Indigenous Peoples, in partnership with friendly States, developed this initial Work Plan to take diverse, essential steps to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the UNFCCC.
“Given the recent UNEP report, which warns that without drastic action our planet is headed to warming of 3.2 degrees by 2100 this is an important step forward,” said Dalee Sambo Dorough, FWG member from Arctic region. “For Inuit and Sami, ice and snow covered Arctic homelands are already undergoing dramatic change and melting. The FWG Work Plan can assist us in our collective ambition and efforts to bring forward our distinct contribution to curb and ultimately end the devastating impacts that humans are having upon our planet.”
The FWG is the first constituted body within the UNFCCC context that has equal representation between States and Indigenous Peoples. After their first meeting in June, the FWG forwarded a draft Work Plan for consideration at SBSTA 51. In recognition of the historic adoption of the Work Plan, Pasang Sherpa, Indigenous Representative from Asia and co-chair of the Facilitative Working Group stated “ we are very happy that Parties committed to maintaining the spirit of collaboration in the preparation of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform's Work Plan. In the process, we have drawn on both the expertise of the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) members and those Indigenous experts who participated in both the FWG Meeting 1 and 2.”
This work plan reflects a substantive agenda to address much-needed climate action. Andrea Carmen, North America Representative to the FWG stated that, “this Work Plan is an important milestone to gain effective support for understanding Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems, traditional food systems, and ecosystems so that our ways of life can be protected.. Drawing on input from Indigenous participation, our work plan provides a rights-based approach to the protection of our ways of knowing and living that will provide the foundation for our ability to adapt and sustain Indigenous Peoples communities as we face the climate crisis.”
The work plan outlines 12 different activities to be operationalised by the Platform. The first thematic focus will be on Food and Water Sovereignty which will guide regional gatherings, hosted amongst the seven socio-cultural regions of the United Nations. These activities aim to spread awareness amongst Indigenous Peoples’, communities and nations about the LCIPP. It also aims to support participation in the development of protections, and best practices regarding ethical co-production of Indigenous knowledge.
The adoption of the work plan is only the first step in enabling and amplifying greater sharing and Indigeous Peoples’ engagement in climate solutions within the UNFCCC and nationally.
The draft conclusions can be found here, and the full Work Plan can be found in the Annex here.
Contact: Janene Yazzie
Phone: +1 (917) 636-2392
Email: janeney@treatycouncil.org
Date: December 10, 2019
ENDS.