Wednesday, November 06, 2024
Cali, Colombia-
The world’s indigenous peoples, who are demanding recognition of their role as guardians of nature, were granted enhanced status in the United Nations biodiversity negotiations on Friday November 1, in a decision adopted in Cali.
The plenary of the COP16 biodiversity conference in Colombia adopted the creation of a permanent group – a โsubsidiary bodyโ in the jargon – designed to ensure the representation of indigenous peoples and local communities within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Representatives of these peoples, wearing traditional clothing and headdresses, broke into cheers and songs of joy as several texts on the subject were adopted.
This was the first notable breakthrough at COP16, which opened in Cali on October 21 and continued into Friday night, due to a tug-of-war over financing humanity’s efforts to stop destroying nature.
โThis is an unprecedented moment in the history of multilateral agreements on the environment,โ enthused Camila Romero, a representative of the Quechua peoples of Chile.
The 196 member countries of the CBD โrecognized the continuing need for our full and effective participation, knowledge and innovation, technology and traditional practicesโ, she added.
Russia and Indonesia had on Thursday blocked the adoption of this much-awaited text at the end of the summit, which is being held in one of the nine countries that cover the Amazon.
For the representative of the Central African Republic, โindigenous peoples will be the first to make peace with natureโ, the objective of the Kunming-Montreal agreement adopted at COP15 in 2022.
On October 26, peoples from Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname launched the โG9 of the Indigenous Amazonโ in Cali, in order to have โa unified voice to influence global decisionsโ.
Indigenous peoples are โthe guardians of natureโ, โon the front line of the biodiversity crisisโ, and their inclusion can โgenerate a more equitable dialogueโ on the subject, COP16 President Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s Minister of the Environment, had declared on Monday.
Humaniterre with AFP
