“Indigenous people must be part of the solution to climate change. This is because you have the traditional knowledge of your ancestors. The important value of that knowledge simply cannot—and must not—be understated. You are also essential in finding solutions today and in the future. The Paris Climate Change Agreement recognizes this. It recognizes your role in building a world that is resilient in the face of climate impacts.”
(Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC)
In accordance with the Paris Agreement and Decision 1/CP.21, climate change is a common concern of humankind. When taking action to address climate change, the respective obligations on, inter alia, the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities should be respected, promoted and considered.
The COP has recognized the need to strengthen knowledge, technologies, practices and efforts of local communities and indigenous peoples related to addressing and responding to climate change. In this context, the LCIPP was established, for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner.
The platform has been established to strengthen the knowledge, technologies, practices, and efforts of local communities and indigenous peoples related to addressing and responding to climate change, to facilitate the exchange of experience and the sharing of best practices and lessons learned on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner and to enhance the engagement of local communities and indigenous peoples in the UNFCCC process.
- Knowledge: the platform promotes the exchange of experience and best practices with a view to applying, strengthening, protecting and preserving traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous peoples and local knowledge systems, as well as technologies, practices and efforts of local communities and indigenous peoples related to addressing and responding to climate change, taking into account the free, prior and informed consent of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices;
- Capacity for engagement: the platform builds the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities to enable their engagement in the UNFCCC process as well as the capacity of Parties and other relevant stakeholders to engage with the platform and with local communities and indigenous peoples, including in the context of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and other climate change related processes;
- Climate change policies and actions: the platform facilitates the integration of diverse knowledge systems, practices and innovations in designing and implementing international and national actions, programmes and policies in a manner that respects and promotes the rights and interests of local communities and indigenous peoples. The platform also facilitates the undertaking of stronger and more ambitious climate action by indigenous peoples and local communities that could contribute to the achievement of the nationally determined contribution of the Parties concerned.
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Nominations for the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform Facilitative Working Group (Deadline 28 February 2019);
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First meeting of the Facilitative Working Group (mid-2019) in conjunction with the fiftieth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) in Bonn, Germany.
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A thematic in-session workshop, in conjunction with SBSTA 50 (June 2019), on enhancing the participation of local communities, in addition to indigenous peoples, in the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform;
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Activities related to the implementation of all three functions of the Platform, at each session of the SBSTA until the workplan is adopted;
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The Facilitative Working Group, under the incremental approach, will propose an initial two-year workplan for the period 2020-2021 for implementing the functions of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform for consideration by SBSTA 51.
