Indigenous Peoples Call for Meaningful Influence in Climate Discussions — Nia Tero

Indigenous leaders and organizations have urged governments and international bodies to ensure their voices hold real weight in global climate discussions. At the 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17), taking place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, representatives from Indigenous groups emphasized the need for stronger inclusion in environmental policy-making. A newly released report by Nia Tero, an international nonprofit dedicated to supporting Indigenous stewardship of ancestral lands and waters, highlights how current processes fail to fully integrate Indigenous perspectives into key global environmental agreements. The report, titled Beyond Fragmentation: Advancing Coherence, Equity, and Indigenous Leadership Across the Rio Conventions, was unveiled during a side event at COP17. The event aimed to foster collaboration among the three major environmental treaties established in 1992, the UNCCD, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These frameworks collectively address climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification, yet Indigenous communities argue that their role in shaping policies under these agreements remains limited. According to Margarita Mora, chief programmes officer at Nia Tero, the report seeks to encourage member states, United Nations agencies, and donors to provide better support for Indigenous participation in upcoming climate and biodiversity conferences. She noted that launching the document at COP17 would help raise awareness about the UNCCD, which she described as the least recognized of the three Rio Conventions. The timing aligns with the fact that all three conventions are holding major meetings this year, beginning with COP17 before moving on to the CBD and UNFCCC conferences later in 2026. Minnie Degawan, a representative of the Kankanaey-Igorot Indigenous group from the Philippines and managing director of the FSC Indigenous Foundation, stressed that the report underscores the importance of recognizing how climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are deeply connected. For Indigenous peoples, these issues directly affect their lands, cultures, and identities. Degawan, who co-authored the report, explained that while there have been advances in acknowledging Indigenous rights since the 1992 Rio Conference, practical implementation still lags behind. The findings of the report reveal a lack of coordination among the three Rio Conventions. Each convention operates within its own set of rules, funding mechanisms, and institutional structures, making it difficult for Indigenous representatives to engage effectively. As a result, discussions around critical topics such as territorial governance, traditional knowledge, and environmental safeguards often occur in isolation rather than being addressed holistically. Participants in the study included experts and Indigenous community members who shared insights on how the fragmentation of environmental policies hinders collective action. They pointed out that Indigenous leaders frequently find themselves attending multiple conferences and dealing with separate bureaucratic systems, which dilutes their ability to advocate for unified solutions. Despite these challenges, some progress has been made in recent years. Indigenous groups have increasingly participated in international forums, and several nations have begun incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into national environmental strategies. However, advocates argue that true inclusion requires more than symbolic representation, it demands structural changes that allow Indigenous voices to shape decisions at all levels of governance. As the COP17 proceedings continue, the focus shifts toward how the lessons from the report might inform future negotiations. With the CBD and UNFCCC conferences scheduled for later this year, the hope is that the call for coherence and equity will resonate beyond the current meeting. Indigenous leaders remain committed to pushing for policies that reflect their lived experiences and knowledge systems, ensuring that their contributions are not just acknowledged but actively integrated into global environmental efforts.