In 2024, there will be a number of international forums involving many parties, including policy makers related to climate and indigenous peoples issues. Among them are the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Egypt on 4-8 November 2024 and the Conference of the Parties (COP16 and COP29) in the same year. In these three forums, discussions on indigenous people became one of the focuses of discussion.
Indigenous peoples with their wealth of knowledge are at the forefront of the challenges of climate change, inequality and urban development. Indigenous knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation as a sustainable method for both the environment and the sustainability of traditions and culture. So what was discussed in these three forums?
World Urban Forum 2024
At WUF 2024, one of the themes discussed was the importance of integrating the voices and rights of indigenous peoples in sustainable urban planning and development. Indigenous peoples, who often live in border areas of cities or regions, are also affected by climate change. They are considered to have valuable local knowledge in maintaining environmental sustainability and inclusive development. So that in the discussion, efforts to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples to participate in important decision-making are encouraged. Their voices are an important key in realizing sustainable urban spatial planning and utilization of natural resources.
The topic raised in this forum is “Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities”. This topic wants to emphasize that 'home' as a place to live does not only include physical space, but also the cultural, social, and environmental framework that defines the community.
In this discussion, one of the speakers Nancy Porsanger anti, State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. Said that indigenous peoples, amid serious challenges such as limited access to services, have proven to play a vital role in utilizing local knowledge and traditions to adapt sustainably to modern crises.
According to Nancy, there is a need for global sustainability efforts for environmental management, and maintaining the resilience of cultural practices. The ability of indigenous peoples to maintain their heritage, while innovatively addressing global issues such as climate change and development, provides valuable lessons in sustainability that are essential for planning and development.
Conference of the Parties 16 (COP16)
COP16 is expected to strengthen the commitment of participating countries to achieve global emission reduction targets, as well as pay special attention to protecting indigenous peoples who are often the most vulnerable groups to the impacts of climate change.
On the last day of the COP16 Biodiversity Summit, Indonesia also expressed its support for the establishment of a permanent indigenous peoples' body or subsidiary body on Article 8j. This body was established to support the fulfillment of indigenous and local peoples' rights in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
The establishment of this permanent body is related to respect, protection, recognition of traditional knowledge, and innovation and practices carried out by indigenous peoples. These things are relevant to the principles of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by respecting local knowledge held by indigenous peoples. This permanent body shows a form of support for indigenous peoples as important actors as guardians of biodiversity as an effort to overcome the increasingly real problem of climate change.
Conference of the Parties 29 (COP29)
Indigenous peoples live close to nature, which makes them very vulnerable to natural disasters, loss of customary land, and environmental degradation caused by exploitation of natural resources. Attention to the rights of indigenous peoples needs to take into account the context of cultural and ecological diversity.
In relation to indigenous peoples, COP29 raised the topic of NbS (Nature-based Solutions) or solutions based on local knowledge. This is an important focus in providing solutions to increase biodiversity and address climate challenges. COP29 emphasized the importance of increasing the scale of NbS projects such as reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable land use.
COP29 is also known as COP Finance because the main topic was climate finance mobilization. One of the new funding targets in the meeting was New Collective and Quantified Goals (NCQG). Climate finance is not just about getting money, but ensuring fair funding especially for indigenous communities themselves. The CSO coalition from several institutions in Indonesia is pushing for the distribution of climate funds to be given directly to indigenous and local communities as an effective solution in efforts to increase social and ecosystem resilience from the risks of the climate crisis. Indigenous communities better understand the conditions of living space and biodiversity challenges, allowing them to implement effective solutions and sustainable practices.
These discussions show that the involvement of indigenous peoples is important, not only in the mitigation process, but also in providing space for them to be involved in the formation of climate and environmental policies. The involvement of indigenous peoples in decision-making processes is key to ensuring that proposed solutions are fair, inclusive, and take into account the diversity of knowledge and traditions that have proven effective in protecting the earth and its environment.
In these three forums, one straight thread that can be drawn is hearing more voices from indigenous peoples as the main subjects of environmental and climate sustainability. So that the formulation of policies and spaces that accommodate the voices of indigenous communities need to be realized. It is hoped that these forums can be realized through inclusive policies in each country including Indonesia.
