Indigenous peoples “hold many of the solutions to the climate crisis and are guardians of the world’s biodiversity,” in places as varied as the Amazon, the Sahel, and the Himalayas, said Mr. Guterres.

Exploitation, evictions

The UN chief acknowledged that indigenous peoples struggle to adapt to the climate crisis, and face the exploitation of their resource-rich territories, eviction from their ancestral lands, and physical attacks.

The Secretary-General pointed to the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, which has led to broader participation of Indigenous Peoples in the work of the organization, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“The United Nations is committed to keep promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in policies and programming at all levels and amplifying your voices,” declared the UN chief. “Let us learn from and embrace the experiences of indigenous peoples.”

‘Stop the persecution of rights defenders’

Darío Mejia Montalvo, an indigenous member of the Zenú community in the Colombian Caribbean, and president of the UNPFII, noted the arduous struggle faced by indigenous people.

Debt to rights defenders

“Those who came before us on this path,” he said, in remarks delivered during the opening session, “were able to open up the doors of the United Nations, thanks to their strength.

“I pay tribute to the leaders of indigenous peoples and allies who have lost their lives, defending their peoples and their territories. This Forum belongs to them.”

Mr. Montalvo, describing the Forum as the greatest meeting of cultural and political diversity in the world, said that indigenous peoples are prepared to offer solutions to the climate crisis, and share their experiences.

Indigenous must at the table

“The issues of climate change and biodiversity cannot be resolved without the real and effective participation of indigenous peoples,” he argued, adding that energy transition policies must take indigenous peoples into account from the very beginning.

“Urgent climate action involves stopping the persecution, homicide and criminalization of indigenous brothers and sisters and their actions defending human rights and the rights of nature,” declared Mr. Montalvo.

Indigenous Brazilians at the UN.

‘Ancestral knowledge, nurtured over centuries’

The President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, declared that the world is still paying the price for taking such a long time to learn from indigenous peoples, about the ways in which the health of the planet and the health of people are intrinsically linked.

Mr. Kőrösi said that the UN needs to understand the factors impacting the health and well-being of indigenous peoples, and address them in a holistic and rights-based manner.

“Your peoples’ ancestral knowledge, nurtured over centuries, has paved the way for the development of many modern medicines,” argued the General Assembly President. “As guardians of 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity, you hold traditional proficiency in how to adapt, mitigate and reduce climate risks.”

Mr. Kőrösi invited delegates to bolster the international community’s quest for solutions that promote peace, ensure the protection of human rights and foster sustainable development.

Women of the Lisu ethnic minority, from Yunnan province, China, in traditional dress.

Indigenous youth can transform the world: ECOSOC President

Lachezara Stoeva, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), noted that the theme for this year’s session – “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health, and climate change: a rights-based approach” – holds particular relevance for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it emphasizes the connections between human health and the health of the planet.

“Climate action, and good health and well-being, are two core goals of the 2030 Agenda,” said Ms. Stoeva. “And, as we know, the SDGs are deeply interconnected. A lack of progress on one Goal hinders progress on all the others.”

The ECOSOC President praised the improved collaboration between the Permanent Forum and other ECOSOC subsidiary bodies, such as the UN Forum on Forests and the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names, and looked forward to the continued participation of Indigenous youth at the Youth Forum, together with the Indigenous Youth caucus, whose voices and proposals, she said, can transform the world into a fairer, greener and more sustainable place.

Many indigenous peoples profess a deep respect for the planet and all forms of life, and an understanding that the health of the Earth goes hand in hand with the wellbeing of humankind.

This knowledge will be shared more widely at the 2023 session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), a ten-day event which gives indigenous communities a voice at the UN, with sessions devoted to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, and health and human rights).

Ahead of the conference, UN News interviewed Darío Mejia Montalvo, an indigenous member  of the Zenú community in the Colombian Caribbean, and president of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

UN News: What is the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and why is it important?

Darío Mejia Montalvo: We first have to talk about what the United Nations is. The UN is made up of Member States, most of which are less than two hundred years old.

Many of them imposed their borders and legal systems on the peoples who were there long before the formation of the States.

The United Nations was created without taking these peoples – who have always considered that they have the right to maintain their own ways of life, government, territories, and cultures – into account.

The creation of the Permanent Forum is the largest gathering of peoples in the United Nations System, seeking to discuss global issues that affect all humanity, not just indigenous peoples. It is a historic achievement of these peoples, who were left out of the creation of the UN; it allows their voices to be heard, but there is still a long way to go.

UN News: Why is the Forum focusing its discussions on planetary and human health this year?

Darío Mejía Montalvo: The COVID-19 pandemic was a momentous upheaval for human beings but, for the planet, a living being, it was also a respite from the global pollution.

The UN was created with only one view, that of the Member States. Indigenous peoples are proposing that we go beyond science, beyond economics, and beyond politics, and think of the planet as Mother Earth.

Our knowledge, which goes back thousands of years, is valid, important, and contains innovative solutions.

UN News: What diagnoses do indigenous people have for addressing the health of the planet?

Darío Mejía Montalvo: There are more than 5,000 indigenous peoples in the world, each with their own worldview, understanding of the current situations, and solutions.

What I think indigenous peoples have in common is their relationship with the land, the basic principles of harmony and balance, where the idea of rights is not based solely around humans, but in nature.

There are multiple diagnoses, that may have elements in common, and can complement the diagnoses of Western science. We are not saying that one kind of knowledge is superior to another; we need to recognize each other and to work together on an equal footing.

This is the approach of indigenous peoples. It is not a position of moral or intellectual superiority, but one of collaboration, dialogue, understanding, and mutual recognition. This is how indigenous peoples can contribute to the fight against the climate crisis.

An indigenous Barí woman commits to peace in Colombia after fighting in the FARC guerrilla group.

UN News: When indigenous leaders defend their rights – especially those who defend environmental rights – they suffer harassment, killings, intimidation, and threats.

Darío Mejía Montalvo: These are really holocausts, tragedies that are invisible to many.

Humanity has become convinced that natural resources are infinite and ever cheaper, and Mother Earth’s resources have been considered commodities. 

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples have resisted the expansion of agricultural and mining frontiers. Every day they defend their territories from mining companies that seek to extract oil, cola and resources that, for many indigenous peoples, are the blood of the planet.

Many people believe that we have to compete with and dominate nature. The desire to control natural resources with legal or illegal companies, or through so-called green bonds or the carbon market is essentially a form of colonialism, which considers indigenous peoples as inferior and incapable and, consequently, justifies their victimization and extermination.

Many States still do not recognize the existence of indigenous peoples and, when they do recognize them, there are considerable difficulties in advancing concrete plans that will allow them to continue defending and living on their lands in dignified conditions.

A group of Karamojong people in Uganda perform songs to share knowledge about weather and animal health.

UN News: What do you expect this year from the session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues?

Darío Mejía Montalvo: The answer is always the same: to be heard on an equal footing, and recognized for the contributions we can make to major global discussions.

We hope that there will be a little more sensitivity, humility on the part of the Member States to recognise that, as societies, we are not on the right track, that the solutions to crises proposed so far have proved insufficient, if not contradictory. And we expect a little more coherence, so that commitments and declarations are converted into concrete actions.

The United Nations is the centre of global debate, and it should take indigenous cultures into account.