United Nations delegates are currently in Panama for the first meeting of a permanent subsidiary body dedicated to indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity and key actors in global efforts to stop any further reduction in the variety of species on Earth.
The Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities does not roll off the tongue. But this group is the first of its kind created through an environmental treaty to give indigenous and local people a place at the table in protecting biodiversity. In the first meeting the group intends to define modalities and governance structure of the new body and address issues related to the implementation of the program of work on Article 8(j).
“The first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) marks a new chapter in multilateralism,” said H.E. Ms. Irene Vélez Torres, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, COP16 President and Chair of SB8J-1. “For the first time, indigenous peoples and local communities have a permanent space within the Convention on Biological Diversity, where their knowledge, rights and leadership are integrated into the heart of global environmental decision-making.”
The establishment of SB8J was decided at COP 16 in Cali. Lucy Mulenkei, Co-chair, International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity said “After nearly three decades of negotiation, Indigenous Peoples and local communities finally have a permanent space within the United Nations system to bring their knowledge, voices, and priorities to the heart of global biodiversity action.”
“Nature does not recognize institutional divisions,” said H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Navarro, Minister of Environment, Panama. “For that reason this Subsidiary Body should become a space for real synergy between modern science and traditional knowledge, between national governments and local governments and local communities, between the Rio Conventions and their financial mechanism, and between the generations that will inherit this planet, and those who today have the power to change it.”
