PeoSoc
Decolonization: For Indigenous Peoples, a just transition rejects the Doctrine of Discovery and the continued imposition of colonial and extractive resource exploitation, false solutions, military occupation, and activities that threaten our mental, spiritual, reproductive, intergenerational, and physical health, biodiversity, natural ecosystems, cultures, values, and plant and animal relatives.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be included as equal partners in developing a governance structure Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties 21 October to 1 November 2024, Cali, Colombia that will ensure an inclusive and equitable mechanism directing funds and enhances our collective biodiversity actions.
The "Community Journalism Through Audio Storytelling" project, led by Amanda W. Mojilip, aims to bridge the gap in media representation by empowering youth to share their perspectives on critical issues such as biodiversity, climate change, and socioeconomic challenges.
Such commitments must be memorialized in robust policies, implemented in a way that truly monitors and protects the rights of Environmental Defenders affected by bank-financed activities, in line with Target 22 of the GBF, which aims to ensure access to justice, among other things, related to biodiversity by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
A question posed during the session was, “How has climate change impacted tribal communities' ability to maintain their cultural practices?” Responses highlighted the diverse experiences of attendees, with one noting the increasing frequency of natural disasters and the decline in tree productivity, while another emphasized that rising water temperatures have jeopardized salmon survival.
When the right to FPIC is respected and operationalized to minimum standards articulated in the UNDRIP, Indigenous Peoples’ have full participation in projects that impact them and decision-making authority to protect their lands, cultures, and ecosystems.