Indigenous Peoples account for 5% of the global population yet safeguard 80% of the world's biodiversity through traditional ecological knowledge. Meanwhile, the percentage of philanthropic funding we receive is less than 1%, undermining our pivotal role in the climate justice movement. Although the final COP28 agreement was disappointing, the NDN Collective’s delegation to Dubai, which I was a part of, leveraged this opportunity to organize with other Indigenous people, build Indigenous power, and ensure that knowledge is shared between our communities across the globe.
Still, the world continues to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that Indigenous Peoples have a seat at the table.
International decisions made about climate often have negative implications that directly impact Indigenous Peoples around the globe, even when these consist of efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change. The Loss and Damage Fund being managed by the World Bank, which was seen as a mitigated win coming out of the climate discussions, has invested in several projects that violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Investors in climate and grantmakers are often among those who continue to miss the mark when it comes to protecting Indigenous rights and acknowledging their leadership in efforts to fight climate change. Our voices and livelihood are often excluded from these high-level conversations, which not only blatantly ignores the significant role that we play in protecting Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) but also contributes to the erasure of our people.
To establish a just and equitable path for impact investment, climate finance, and grant-making, it's essential to recognize that we as Indigenous people have a sacred relationship with our ancestral homelands and therefore hold the most critical position in the management of climate, biodiversity, and the environment. Indigenous Peoples are often conflated with “local communities” when being considered as stakeholders in a project, instead of as a distinct group with distinct rights protected under international and often domestic law. These rights include free, prior, and informed consent as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the right to land, territory, and resources, potential claims for restitution, and more.
In addition, COP28 also laid bare the prevailing underinvestment in grassroots, Indigenous community-led climate solutions. Philanthropy and other funders often adopt a top-down approach, hindering capital flow to Indigenous communities. This is precisely why we must uplift and fund Indigenous-led climate solutions, such as The Indigenous Climate and Just Transition Fund, which functions as a vehicle to disperse flexible dollars to Indigenous communities and tribes who have been doing climate justice work without resources for decades. Ensuring Indigenous Peoples direct access to climate finance globally and safeguarding their rights in fund development and evaluation are essential. This would not only benefit Indigenous Peoples but also the planet and Mother Earth.
Third, there are gaps when it comes to ensuring that climate solutions incorporate Indigenous-led conservation and adaptation and uphold traditional ecological knowledge systems. Many initiatives to fight climate change and protect biodiversity, such as the 30x30 goal to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030, miss opportunities to ensure Indigenous participation in setting conservation and adaptation goals, strategies, and solutions, and ensuring funding mechanisms are directly accessible to Indigenous Peoples and protect their rights.
At COP28, NDN Collective's partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIFCCC) at COP28 included hosting the Indigenous Peoples’ Pavilion (IPP). The programming, representing all seven Indigenous regions, focused on Indigenous-led climate solutions. Significantly, the inaugural Dialogue with Indigenous Peoples brought together senior-level representation from across the COP28 Presidency and Climate Champions Team to explore and discuss expectations for COP28, marking a historic moment in global climate change negotiations.
Yet as we anticipate this year’s COP29 in Azerbaijan, it's paramount to prioritize Indigenous voices in climate-led solutions. At COP28, there were six times as many lobbyists for extractive industries as there were Indigenous representatives. Indigenous perspectives are often overlooked and intentionally excluded, despite the fact that Indigenous environmental defenders assume some of the greatest risks in undertaking this work: of the environmental defenders killed in 2022, over one-third (36%) were Indigenous. The disparity in representation calls for enhanced support, resources, and a shift in power dynamics.
Reevaluating the approach of climate solution funders is necessary to ensure a more just and sustainable future for all. We must support Indigenous-led climate efforts at large-scale funding levels. This is required of us in order to implement solutions Indigenous leaders are planning and working to scale, and have been for centuries. Indigenous people are calling on funders and philanthropy to redirect funds, recognize Indigenous leadership, and foster equitable partnerships that respect the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples across the globe.
Thalia Carroll-Cachimuel (Kichwa-Otavalo), Director of Philanthropic Networks, NDN Collective
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