Addressee: UNFCCC

Paragraph #21Session #10 (2011)

Full Text

The Permanent Forum calls upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and States parties thereto to develop mechanisms to promote the participation of indigenous peoples in all aspects of the international dialogue on climate change.

Responses

Indigenous peoples have been engaged in the UNFCCC process since the year 2000. Indigenous peoples’ NGOs can apply for observer status under the convention, and those that are accepted can nominate participants to the sessions of the different bodies under the convention. The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change, IIPFCC, is the joint indigenous caucus in the UNFCCC process, a body that is open to those indigenous activists that wish to engage in the negotiations at any given time. During the COP 16 in Cancún, indigenous organisations were organised in the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus on Climate Change. The Cancún Agreement partly acknowledged and reflected the key demands of indigenous organisations, while leaving some other options open for further consideration and proposals. The shared vision text, which maps out the general framework and context for the implementation of the Bali Action Plan, for instance, explicitly refers to indigenous peoples as vulnerable groups and to the need to ensure their full and effective participation in climate policies and programmes as well as respect for their human rights, with a general reference to the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on climate change and human rights. In October 2011, indigenous peoples met in Oaxaca, Mexico at the invitation of the government of Mexico, in order to prepare for and to discuss strategies and priorities for their involvement at the COP17. These are summarized in the Oaxaca Action Plan of Indigenous Peoples: From Cancún to Durban and beyond.

Final Report of UNPFII Session 10 (2011)

Area of Work

Environment