"Indigenous peoples represent the future, not the past, because of their knowledge of how to work with the land and Indigenous knowledge-based climate change adaptation and mitigation," Kimaren Ole Riamit of the Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners (ILEPA) from Kenya emphasizes during a side event in the recent climate conference.
Riamit joined a small team of Elatia in the 27th Conference of Parties (COP 27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that took place in Sharm El Sheikh in 6-18 November 2022. The COP that ended in a decision by state parties to agree on funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, saw the biggest indigenous peoples’ participation so far, with around 180 representatives from all around the world.
Despite strong and active engagement of indigenous peoples, the historic decision has no reference at all to human rights and indigenous peoples’ rights, to which many climate activists have expressed dismay.
“It is concerning,” Grace Balawag of Tebtebba has also expressed concern on the seemingly lack of political will of the convention to do good as she points out that indigenous peoples are also absent in the Global Stocktake processes. “While countries report progresses in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, indigenous peoples are getting lost in national aggregates” she added.
The two-week conference has seen extensive actions in side events in the pavilions and packed agenda on outstanding agenda items including on climate financing, on loss and damage, stocktaking of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and on carbon market and non-market approaches.
Meanwhile, the second annual gathering of Traditional Knowledge Holders in the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) was held in conjunction of the COP 27. Nicky Batang-ay of the Climate Change Program of Tebtebba and who also represented the youth delegation of the institution emphasized the need involve indigenous youth and to build alliances in order to influence national climate policies.
Nicky Batang-ay stresses on the importance of youth involvement in influencing national climate policies.
Amidst the clamor for a more just and inclusive COP, Eileen Mairena who is following the climate finance agenda expressed the need for a direct access of indigenous peoples to climate funds. This is seconded by Anne Samante of the Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO)who urged inclusivity in climate funds who raised that “in East Africa, a long and serious drought causing death of cattle and other animals is impacting indigenous peoples’ livelihoods, wellbeing and survival”.
The representatives of Elatia and Tebtebba cannot emphasized the role and contribution of indigenous peoples in in climate solutions enough. And so the struggle to get the parties of the COP recognize this contribution, and start acting on it by not only recognizing it in climate decisions, but more importantly in climate actions.
As such, Tarcila Rivera Zea of the International Forum of Indigenous Women and the executive director of Centre for Indigenous Cultures of Peru (CHIRAPAQ) motivates indigenous peoples in climate conference. "Let us continue to build life,” she said as Elatia partners look forward to engaging again in the lead to the next COP happening at the United Arab Emirates in 2023.