Bonn, Germany, 17 October 2015
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES AND ACTIONS
Parties should ensure an overarching human rights approach to all climate change interventions, procedures, mitigation strategies and adaption. The operational provisions of the Paris Agreement as well as the COP decisions that will provide guidance for the implementations of the deliberations adopted in COP21 should specifically require Parties to respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the rights of Indigenous Peoples as provided in the UNDRIP, ILO Convention No. 169, the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and General Recommendation 23 of CERD. There are some proposed solutions to climate change such as those under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that have serious implications to the rights of indigenous peoples. Therefore, it is imperative that Parties recognize and respect the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources, including their cosmo-visions, subject to their free, prior and informed consent, with the right to say “No”. Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolations must to be protected in their territories from extractive industries and other projects.
Building from the Cancun agreement, clear and robust safeguards must be integrated into any future global climate change Post-2015 agreement. The Subsidiary Bodies should be given a mandate to develop modalities and methodologies on how to fully integrate and operationalize human rights based approach in climate change policies and actions, including the rights of indigenous peoples.
The IIPFCC also takes note of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their specific reference to Climate Change in Goal 13. However, it is important for States to recognize that while the SDGs seek to end poverty and hunger in all their forms, the UNFCCC’s Structured Expert Dialogue report concludes that the proposed 2 °C goal will increase poverty and hunger among Indigenous Peoples. Our food sources, local economies, resilience, and survival are absolutely dependent on the health of the natural world.There must be coherence among a climate change agreement under the UNFCCC, the Sendai Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction, the SDGs, and international human rights standards.
Parties should take urgent action to tackle global warming and climate change and commit to the goal of keeping the global temperature increase below 1.5 C both in the Paris Agreement and in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Parties should ensure the right to equitable benefit-sharing in all climate change related activities, taking into account other internationally agreed outcomes/instruments on Access and Benefit Sharing including the Nagoya Protocol.
The governments should commit to reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, promote movement towards deep de-carbonization developments such as safe and small scale renewable energy and support other indigenous peoples’ initiatives including by means of appropriate technology transfer within the frames of climate justice
Scientific data shows that the collective ownership and integral titling of land, territories and resources of indigenous peoples, as well as respect for customary use and management are the most effective ways of protecting fragile ecosystems and thereby contributing to adaptation and mitigation. Therefore as regards INDCs, its crucial that Parties ensure the participation of indigenous peoples and agree to include indicators that reflect the commitment to recognize and integrate collective rights to territory, autonomy, self-representation, exercise of customary law, non-discrimination and customary Land Use principles. INDCs should also include commitments to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights as well as modalities for reporting on national progress to ensure land titling, concrete measures to control mega drivers, the allocation of public funding to the management of indigenous territories.
RECOGNIZE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION, MITIGATION AND RESPECT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ TRADITIONAL LIVELIHOODS
The importance of Indigenous Peoples’ livelihoods and knowledge in contributing to adaptation and mitigation has been re-affirmed by the IPCC, in its assessment report AR5 on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. We therefore welcome reference to traditional knowledge and the positive contributions that Indigenous Peoples play in adaptation in the zero draft text of the Agreement but this recognitionshould be reflected in the mitigation text as well.
An Indigenous Peoples’ Experts and “knowledge-holders” Advisory body elected by indigenous organizations and ‘indigenous territorial governments” with regional balance, should also be established as a technical advisory body and a consultative resource that contributes the perspective of Indigenous traditional knowledge to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all UNFCCC subsidiary bodies, activities, mechanisms and programs especially with respect to Indigenous Peoples’ related issues. Indigenous Peoples should have full and effective participation in Technical Expert Meetings dealing with pre-2020 ambition.
REDD+ activities must be adjusted to incorporate indigenous proposals and initiatives that look beyond carbon benefits and market-based approaches.
ENSURE FULL AND EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES INCLUDING WOMEN AND YOUTH IN CLIMATE CHANGE-RELATED PROCESSES AND PROGRAMS AT LOCAL, NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS
Indigenous territories are in the frontline of climate change impacts. Engagement in the international bodies is critical and we urge the governments and institutions to ensure the effective engagement, consultation and participation in climate change policies and programs at local, national and regional levels.Indigenous peoples should fully and effectively participate in Safeguards Information Systems, National Forest Monitoring Systems, National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA), Disaster Risk Reduction and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA), National Designation Authorities (NDAs). In order to accomplish this Indigenous peoples need to have access capacity building and to appropriate technologies.Indigenous Peoples must be part of the loss and damage Executive Committee and must fully and effectively participate in the Adaptation Fund and Advisory Board.
ENSURE DIRECT ACCESS TO CLIMATE FINANCE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FROM DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Indigenous peoples should have direct access to the Green Climate fund through their representative organizations, building on the experience and precedents of other climate funds and must be able to propose, design, implement adaptation and mitigation projects based on their traditional knowledge and livelihoods.
We call on the parties to support our request for the representation of Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) as active observers within the Board of the GCF under a differentiated category from nongovernment actors. Furthermore, the GCF should adopt stringent criteria to ensure the effective engagement, consultation and participation of indigenous peoples both in the GCF activities and at all levels.