Indigenous peoples guard our nature. We must empower them

Mafalda Duarte is Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and Razan Al Mubarak is the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 and President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Data is the currency of the 21st century. Data-driven insights have propelled multiple fields to new heights - from climate science to public health - improving our lives beyond measure.

Too often, however, humanity overlooks another vital form of knowledge, one crucial in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises: the lived experiences, traditions, and wisdom of Indigenous peoples.

It is high time the international community not only recognise but apply Indigenous knowledge and expertise to achieve a more liveable, biodiverse planet.

Indigenous peoples are essential to promoting food and water security, and enhancing nature’s ability to absorb harmful greenhouse gases. While representing a mere 5% of the global population, they manage approximately half of the world’s land and forests, which are home to a staggering 80% of the globe's biodiversity. Furthermore, between 2001 and 2021, Indigenous peoples’ forests were better net carbon sinks per hectare than most non-Indigenous forests.

Sustainability has been central to Indigenous peoples’ thinking long before the term existed, as they have maintained the natural environments they depend on for millennia.

Indigenous knowledge can help us adapt to the climate crisis and its impact on nature and biodiversity. In the island state of Vanuatu, for example, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has helped fund an early warning system to predict potential disasters, such as cyclones and tsunamis, using Indigenous methods to recognise signs of incoming disasters.

Yet external pressures from agriculture, logging, mining and tourism threaten Indigenous peoples’ way of life. Indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable communities on the planet, with poverty rates typically two to three times higher than the global average. They also regularly face violence while defending their land rights.

Billions of dollars have been promised to support Indigenous communities in their fight to secure land tenure and safeguard our collective future, but funding is not flowing fast or far enough. Alarmingly, less than 1% of total climate finance is currently reaching Indigenous peoples.

The international community is making some strides in the right direction. In 2015, the Paris Agreement recognised Indigenous peoples’ role in building resilience to climate change. Six years later, countries pledged nearly $2 billion to support the land rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. However, around half of the pledge has been met so far, with only 2% reaching the frontline.

Global actors, including governments and financial institutions, have a responsibility to support Indigenous peoples’ self-determination by ensuring financial support goes where we say it will. Crucially, we must overcome key barriers, such as investment strategies that shy away from smaller, diffuse, and remote populations, or worse: outdated biases about Indigenous peoples’ capabilities.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is an important moment to accelerate efforts to that end, raise awareness, and celebrate the milestones we have already achieved together.

For example, GCF is financing projects with the potential to benefit Indigenous peoples across 80 countries. These are part of commitments totaling $4 billion, making GCF not just the world's largest multilateral climate fund but also the largest fund supporting Indigenous peoples. An Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group oversees GCF investments, ensuring they are fit for purpose and comply with the Fund’s Indigenous Peoples Policy. The Fund is also enacting reforms to increase support for the most vulnerable.

An additional step is a comprehensive global study on Indigenous peoples’ climate contributions, supported by The Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and the UAE’s UN Climate Change High-Level Champion on behalf of the COP28 Presidency. That study, now underway, promises to document Indigenous peoples’ efforts to deliver climate action and reinforce the case for financial support.

This must be just the start of a wider campaign for change. As we honour Indigenous peoples, let us reaffirm that they are as much a part of our shared future as they have been a part of our shared heritage. Our climate, and nature itself, depend on it.