Countries at the United Nations COP16 summit in Colombia endorsed a measure to set up a permanent indigenous peoples’ body to consult on UN conservation decisions, according to Reuters.
The creation of the consultative body is seen as a breakthrough in recognising the role that indigenous peoples play in conservation around the world, including some of the most biologically diverse regions of the planet, according to a statement from indigenous and environmental rights advocates.
“Our territories, which cover much of the natural wealth of the planet, have also been home to people of African descent and indigenous peoples whose sustainable practices are needed to face the environmental challenges that we all share today,” Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said.
Nearly 200 countries assembled in Cali to implement the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement, which aims to halt the rapid deterioration of nature by 2030. The consultative body will also include local communities, which will contribute to the incorporation of traditional knowledge and practices in conservation efforts.
Among others, there was also a measure recognising the role of people of African descent in caring for nature, which will give communities easier access to resources to finance their biodiversity conservation projects and participate in global environmental debates, according to the organiser of COP16 in Colombia.
