Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Seventh Session
New York, 21 April – 2 May 2008
Item 3 Special theme “Climate change,
biocultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous
peoples and new challenges”
22 April 2008
Statement submitted by the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network
(IWBN)
via The Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV)
I am making this statement on behalf
of the Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network (IWBN) the network of Indigenous
women active in the work in environmental rights fora. We have been especially
involved in the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We wish to make
this intervention as not only are Indigenous women the most vulnerable to but are
also the best poised to work to positively curb the negative effects of climate
change.
First of all we wish to recognize that
we are on the traditional lands of the Haudenoshonee and wish to thank the
traditional occupants of this land for their hospitality.
Indigenous women have a vital role in
the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and in regards to
maintaining Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge, cultures and languages,
which we pass on from generation to generation. Indigenous women are concerned
that inappropriate policies cause resource abuse, climate change, foster
extractive industries, and over-harvesting all resulting in the continued loss
of biodiversity. This biodiversity loss causes grave social, political,
economic, cultural, environmental, and health problems for Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous women have a role in the transmission of knowledge from
the past to future generations. This link ensures the strengthening of our
cultural values and our cosmovisions. These values support the empowerment of
governance mechanisms, sustainable trade and economic systems. In this regard,
Indigenous women should be protected from global forces of commercial and
capitalist encroachment that colonizes Indigenous systems of economic,
political, social and cultural governance.
The traditional knowledge, innovation and practices of Indigenous
women are vast. Our specialized experience has made us midwives, spiritual
leaders, healers, herbalists and botanists within our peoples and beyond. Our
knowledge, use and control of medicinal plants must be protected from misuse
and misappropriation, including studies, research and commercialization
efforts. They must be protected from the negative impacts of climate change.
We recognize that Indigenous knowledge has contributed to humanity
in regards to food security and via the many Indigenous medicines used
throughout the world. Our right to keep collecting, saving and exchanging our
natural seeds must be protected. This is how we have been able to feed our
peoples for generations. Indigenous women are the key providers of food and
have a crucial role in protecting our natural food resources in order to
overcome poverty and hunger. As climate change will continue to affect food
security, this is also a crucial aspect for Indigenous women.
The industrial activities that have caused global warming, have resulted
in prolonged droughts in arid and semi-arid areas, causing loss of life and
disrupting nomadic ways of life. Furthermore, climate change is causing the
melting of the arctic ice, a rising of the sea-level, causing flooding of lands
and islands. These factors have exacerbated poverty and turned many Indigenous
Peoples, especially indigenous women and children, into environmental refugees.
This results in our displacement and relocation from our lands and homes,
thereby forcing us to leave our communities and take on the task of building
new communities elsewhere.
The effects of climate change are multifaceted: social, political,
economic as well as environmental. By recognizing that women are key agents of
environmental transformation, we also counter the gender inequalities that
render climate change especially devastating to women.
The full and effective participation of
Indigenous women is critical so that we are active participants and
decision-makers at every stage regarding the vital issues of biodiversity
conservation and climate change.
As Indigenous women we are ready to
take our part of the responsibility in addressing these serious concerns, and
the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network (IWBN) will commit to working on positive
solutions.
In closing, we the IWBN, have four recommendations
to make to the Permanent Forum:
2) That the Forum actively participates
in the forthcoming processes under the UNFCCC and other related processes in
order to create visibility and raise issues critical to Indigenous peoples in
these for a. Further they should ensure that a “Working Group on Indigenous
Peoples and Climate Change” be established within the UNFCCC.
3) The full and effective
participation of Indigenous Peoples, and especially indigenous women, in the
forthcoming negotiations for the next Kyoto Protocol commitment period should
be ensured. Mechanisms on how this can be done should be brought to the
negotiating table.
4) That the Forum undertake, in
conjunction with the Human Rights Council Mechanism, and the Interagency
Support Group, an effort to determine whether climate change policies and
projects adhere to the standards in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples.
Thank you