Intervention by the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC)
Presented by Andrea Carmen, IITC, on behalf of the IIPFCC
18 November 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan
Andrea Carmen, Executive Director, International Indian Treaty Council. Photo: Kiera Worth
Respectful greetings, We reiterate that the rights of Indigenous Peoples must be upheld in all Just Transition agreements and actions. Our rights must never be violated in the name of Just Transition, climate change mitigation or so-called green energy production carried out in the same way that mining and drilling for coal, oil and gas have negatively impacted our lands and waters without our Free Prior and Informed Consent. Without our full participation and respect for our knowledge and rights, there can be no true Just Transition.
We call for solutions that safeguard our ecosystems and ways of life, focused on transition away from fossil fuels so the 1.5 degree commitment can be upheld. Just Transition cannot be based on carbon markets, extraction of so-called transition minerals or the expansion of biofuel plantations, which further devastate our ecosystems and violate our rights. “Transition minerals” mining is already resulting in the destruction of our livelihoods and food systems, contamination and depletion of our waters, and desecration of our sacred places. It is producing armed conflicts, increased violence against Indigenous women, and criminalization of rights defenders in our territories.
Our time-tested methods for sustainable resource management, based on our knowledge, practices and cultural values, include models for Just Transition away from industrial food production, responsible for 25% of the world’s greenhouse gasses, as well as agrochemical contamination, soil degradation, deforestation and excessive water use.
Indigenous Peoples can contribute to real solutions that are effective, just, equitable, and represent a true transition away from “business as usual”. We must take action now, for the sake of all of our children and future generations.
Thank you.