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Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Right to Self-determination in the Context UNDRIP at the 23rd Session of UNPFII

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Friday, April 19, 2024

Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Recommendations at the 23rd Session of the UNPFII  ‘Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-determination in the Context of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Emphasizing the Voices of Indigenous Youth’ We, the Standing Rock Youth Council, members of the Standing Rock sovereign Lakota/Nakota/Dakota Indigenous nation, are here […] The post Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Right to Self-determination in the Context UNDRIP at the 23rd Session of UNPFII first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Recommendations at the 23rd Session of the UNPFII  ‘Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-determination in the Context of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Emphasizing the Voices of Indigenous Youth’ We, the Standing Rock Youth Council, members of the Standing Rock sovereign Lakota/Nakota/Dakota Indigenous nation, are here […] The post Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Right to Self-determination in the Context UNDRIP at the 23rd Session of UNPFII first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Recommendations at the 23rd Session of the UNPFII  ‘Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-determination in the Context of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Emphasizing the Voices of Indigenous Youth’ We, the Standing Rock Youth Council, members of the Standing Rock sovereign Lakota/Nakota/Dakota Indigenous nation, are here […]

The post Standing Rock Youth Council Delivers Right to Self-determination in the Context UNDRIP at the 23rd Session of UNPFII first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.
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Related News

Federal agencies urged to integrate Indigenous tribes in Everglades restoration

Efforts to restore the Everglades can be enhanced by incorporating Indigenous tribes’ ecological knowledge, a new report says.Amy Green reports for Inside Climate News.In short:The National Academies recommend deeper collaboration with Florida's Miccosukee and Seminole tribes in the $21 billion Everglades restoration project, emphasizing their role as environmental stewards.The report calls for consideration and application of Indigenous knowledge "even when it does not conform to western scientific norms."Indigenous knowledge offers insights into historical ecosystem conditions, providing a critical perspective for restoration planning.The report also calls for integrating climate change projections and improving water quality regulations alongside restoration funding.Key quote:“I think it can help us from veering into over-engineered solutions that we’ve found ourselves in in the Everglades over the decades. It’s about living in harmony with the Everglades, not trying to over-engineer the Everglades.”— Eve Samples, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Friends of the Everglades.Why this matters:The Everglades provide freshwater to 12 million Floridians and sustain unique ecosystems. Incorporating tribal knowledge and addressing climate change impacts can improve restoration outcomes and foster sustainable water management practices.Related:LISTEN: Simple experiences in the EvergladesTribal plan aims to phase out Everglades oil drillingFreshwater diverted from Florida's coast could help Everglades

Efforts to restore the Everglades can be enhanced by incorporating Indigenous tribes’ ecological knowledge, a new report says.Amy Green reports for Inside Climate News.In short:The National Academies recommend deeper collaboration with Florida's Miccosukee and Seminole tribes in the $21 billion Everglades restoration project, emphasizing their role as environmental stewards.The report calls for consideration and application of Indigenous knowledge "even when it does not conform to western scientific norms."Indigenous knowledge offers insights into historical ecosystem conditions, providing a critical perspective for restoration planning.The report also calls for integrating climate change projections and improving water quality regulations alongside restoration funding.Key quote:“I think it can help us from veering into over-engineered solutions that we’ve found ourselves in in the Everglades over the decades. It’s about living in harmony with the Everglades, not trying to over-engineer the Everglades.”— Eve Samples, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Friends of the Everglades.Why this matters:The Everglades provide freshwater to 12 million Floridians and sustain unique ecosystems. Incorporating tribal knowledge and addressing climate change impacts can improve restoration outcomes and foster sustainable water management practices.Related:LISTEN: Simple experiences in the EvergladesTribal plan aims to phase out Everglades oil drillingFreshwater diverted from Florida's coast could help Everglades

Indigenous
Climate
Water

Indigenous Peoples Denounce Whale Offsets at UN Biodiversity Summit

Indigenous Peoples Denounce Whale Offsets at UN Biodiversity Summit Cali, Colombia – Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations biodiversity summit denounced the International Monetary Fund’s plans to commodify sacred whales for biodiversity and carbon offsets. Such perverse proposals have prompted many delegates to wonder if the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the Convention […] The post Indigenous Peoples Denounce Whale Offsets at UN Biodiversity Summit first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Indigenous Peoples Denounce Whale Offsets at UN Biodiversity Summit Cali, Colombia – Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations biodiversity summit denounced the International Monetary Fund’s plans to commodify sacred whales for biodiversity and carbon offsets. Such perverse proposals have prompted many delegates to wonder if the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the Convention […] The post Indigenous Peoples Denounce Whale Offsets at UN Biodiversity Summit first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Indigenous

Ecuador's Indigenous Defenders Face Growing Threats, Activists Say at UN Summit

By Oliver GriffinCALI, Colombia (Reuters) -Indigenous environmental defenders in Ecuador are suffering an increasing number of threats and...

CALI, Colombia (Reuters) - Indigenous environmental defenders in Ecuador are suffering an increasing number of threats and sometimes deadly attacks amid spiraling violence in the country, activists said on Friday at the U.N. COP16 nature talks in Colombia.Nearly 200 countries are gathered in the city of Cali in an attempt to agree on a deal to implement the landmark 2022 Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework agreement that aims to end destruction of nature by 2030.Among the goals of that agreement was heightened protection for environmental defenders. But during the summit, slated to end late on Friday, Indigenous activists from Ecuador said danger for their communities was growing."It's become a tense and terrible problem in Ecuador," Juan Bay, president of the Waorani Indigenous community, told Reuters, adding that threats have increased since a 2023 referendum in Ecuador approved a ban on oil drilling in the Amazon.Ecuador has experienced rising violence in recent years at the hands of organized crime, with President Daniel Noboa declaring a state of internal armed conflict earlier this year and designating almost two dozen gangs as terrorist groups.Negotiations at COP16 include discussions around monitoring killings of people targeted for efforts to protect the environment, but a proposed measure for recording them does not go far enough, said Natalia Gomez, the climate change policy advisor for advocacy group, EarthRights."Unfortunately, that indicator being discussed is optional and binary, which means that governments will only say, 'Yes, we're doing it', or 'No, we're not doing it'," she said.According to the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity website, Ecuador has not reported on its aims to protect environmental defenders."Ecuador has seen an increase" in threats, Astrid Puentes, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment, told Reuters.Ecuador's government must comply with standards for environmental protection and implement protection measures for those who might receive threats, Puentes said.Ecuador's secretariat of indigenous peoples and nationalities did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.Reported killings are creating a climate of fear for Indigenous communities trying to protect their homes, said Jhajayra Machoa, from CONFENIAE, the main organization of indigenous groups in Ecuador's Amazon."It's very hard to face this situation," she said.(Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Jake Spring and Sandra Maler)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Indigenous
Activism
Government

Staff Spotlight – Mona Pollaca

Staff Spotlight: Mona Pollaca  The positive role and the wisdom of grandmothers is revered among Indigenous Peoples. IEN Indigenous Water Ethics Organizer Mona Pollaca is a Havasupai, Hopi, and Tewa member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes from Arizona is an example of the kind of grandmother who is held in high esteem, even beyond […] The post Staff Spotlight – Mona Pollaca first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Staff Spotlight: Mona Pollaca  The positive role and the wisdom of grandmothers is revered among Indigenous Peoples. IEN Indigenous Water Ethics Organizer Mona Pollaca is a Havasupai, Hopi, and Tewa member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes from Arizona is an example of the kind of grandmother who is held in high esteem, even beyond […] The post Staff Spotlight – Mona Pollaca first appeared on Indigenous Environmental Network.

Indigenous
Water

Indigenous People March in Brazil's Capital Against Bill Limiting Land Rights

Hundreds of Indigenous people were marching Wednesday in Brazil’s capital, urging Congress to drop a proposed constitutional amendment that has the potential to paralyze and even reverse land allocations

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Bearing images of animals and covered in body paint, hundreds of Indigenous people marched Wednesday in Brazil's capital, urging Congress to drop a proposed constitutional amendment that has the potential to paralyze and even reverse land allocations.The bill aims to add to the Constitution a legal theory, championed by the agribusiness caucus, that the date the Constitution was promulgated — Oct. 5, 1988 — should be the deadline for Indigenous peoples to have already either physically occupied claimed land or be legally fighting to reoccupy territory. Lawmakers from the caucus also claim it provides legal certainty for landholders.Indigenous rights groups have argued that establishing a deadline is unfair, as it does not account for expulsions and forced displacements of Indigenous populations, particularly during Brazil’s agriculture frontier expansion in the 20th century.“We are aware of the interests of mining companies, ranchers and oil companies in our lands. How many lives will be destroyed if this bill passes?” Alessandra Korap, an Indigenous leader of the Munduruku tribe, told The Associated Press.On Sept. 21, 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the deadline concept, which formed part of a lawsuit brought by Santa Catarina state. In the vote that secured the majority, Justice Luiz Fux argued that areas connected to Indigenous ancestry and traditions are protected by the Constitution, even if not officially recognized. It was a moment of widespread celebration among Indigenous communities and their advocates.One week after the ruling, pro-agribusiness lawmakers began pushing for congressional approval of the deadline. One initiative is the proposed constitutional amendment that the Indigenous movement fears will come up for a vote in the coming days.Congress also passed a law in December that established the 1988 deadline. The Indigenous movement and political parties appealed to the Supreme Court, which hasn't yet issued a ruling on the matter. During a speech in Congress, the author of the constitutional amendment, Sen. Hiran Gonçalves, stated that his proposal aims to settle the issue definitively, thereby ending legal uncertainty.Dinamam Tuxá, head of the rights group Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, told the Associated Press that, if approved, the bill will lead to the suspension of Indigenous land demarcations, escalate socio-environmental conflicts and increase deforestation.Maisonnave reported from BrasilandiaThe Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Indigenous
Agriculture
Business

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Still River, Silent Jungle

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L’eau Est La Vie (Water Is Life): From Standing Rock To The Swamp

On the banks of Louisiana, fierce Indigenous women are ready to fight—to stop the corporate blacksnake and preserve their way of life. They are risking everything to protect Mother Earth from the predatory fossil fuel companies that seek to poison it. The film follows water protector Cherri Foytlin in the swamps of Louisiana as she leads us on a no-nonsense journey of indigenous resistance to the Bayou Bridge Pipeline (BBP), which is an extension of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The pipelines are part of an ongoing legacy of colonization and slow genocide. At the heart of the struggle is a battle between people and profit.

Indigenous
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Activism

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