The dust has settled from September’s Climate Week NYC, where 600 leaders from business, government, and civil society gathered around the theme of “It’s Time” to discuss progress against the ambitious global goals of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. Amid the numerous sessions, Cadasta focused on those aligned with our mission: securing land tenure and resource rights for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendent Peoples, and local communities as a key strategy in the fight to combat the steady march of devastating climate change impacts.
- Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Are Climate Partners
Central to the week was the bold collective call of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities (IP, ADP, and LCs) for a meaningful seat at the table as partners. Indigenous and community leaders demanded inclusion in shaping policy, accessing finance, and delivering nature-based solutions built on demonstrated results from centuries of ecological stewardship.
At an event hosted by Land Portal, Tenure Facility, and Ford Foundation, Indigenous leader Angela Kaxuyana Tunay, of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COAIB) stated, “There is a need for greater awareness of the role that our communities play. There is a severe threat of collapse in this world and we are the answer.”
Myrna Cunningham, Director of the Pawanka Fund and Chair of Tenure Facility’s Board, stated that they are trying to change how donors, in this case, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, address Indigenous People’s areas:“They need to ensure respect of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) rights and need to change other policies, such as hiring Indigenous Peoples and supporting IP projects.”
Although there is much to be done, the message seemed to be getting through, even in high-level events during the week. The World Economic Forum cited that “the rights and priorities of Indigenous peoples and local communities need support,” as one of the week’s major takeaways.
- Climate Finance Must Be Restructured to Reach Communities
A critical takeaway from the week was the need to channel a bigger portion of the trillions of climate finance directly into rightsholder organizations to ensure that local communities are receiving their fair share. Given their outsized role in effectively protecting resources and natural areas that absorb and store carbon (carbon sinks) across the world’s major ecosystems, Indigenous and community leaders are calling for increased resources to secure tenure rights and conserve and protect biodiversity and natural resources in their territories. New Indigenous- and community-led funds, such as the Shandia Platform, took center stage in these discussions. Shandia is a global mechanism to support regional funds in Asia, Africa, and Latin America formed and led by communities through representative structures.
“There is a lack of justice in accessing resources that are not proportional to the value of our work,” said Angela Kaxuyana Tunay, a leader of the Podáali Fund led by Indigenous Peoples of the Brazilian Amazon. And other leaders agreed. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, made this sentiment clear during a session hosted by Health in Harmony and the FSC Indigenous Foundation: “Science has confirmed what Indigenous Peoples have been saying for years–we are already at 1.5 degrees and things are going in a bad direction. I believe in the capacities of Indigenous communities and organizations. All we need is to get access to climate finance as partners. Let us wake up, put the money on the table, give us access, and get going for the next 5 years.”
New Donor Pledges Aim to Increase Equity and Impact
A key focus of discussions was the development of a new donor pledge to support tenure and climate action for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities. This “Pledge 2.0” is envisioned to expand on the groundbreaking $1.7 billion Pledge for Tenure Rights and Forest Guardianship of Indigenous Peoples made by donors in 2022 at COP26. However, a 2023 report by Indufor for the Forest Tenure Funders Group revealed that only about 2% of these funds have directly reached the communities they aim to support.
During a Path to Scale network meeting—bringing together donors, rightsholders, and civil society organizations—participants shared their aspirations for the new iteration of the pledge, including:
- Earmarking 20% of funds for Indigenous-led organizations and initatives;
- Expanding focus beyond forests to include other critical landscapes and ecosystems;
- Co-creating larger, multi-year initiatives with greater stakeholder collaboration;
- Simplifying and streamlining processes for funding applications and implementation;
- Enhancing transparency and accountability of both donors and intermediaries
- Strengthening capacity-building efforts to manage and deploy funding to access new market opportunities;
- Prioritizing women’s inclusion and protection; and
- Implementing results-based metrics and financing models to track impact.
These ideas are being explored and shared broadly with stakeholders in the lead-up to COP30 in Belem, Brazil, where it is anticipated that new pledges will be announced.
- There is An Urgent Need for Collective Action
One thing during Climate Week was clear: global climate targets will not be achieved through siloed efforts. Governments, philanthropy, the private sector, civil society, and rightsholder communities must close the gaps across sectors to urgently act.
Companies relying on carbon offsets as a key strategy to achieving net zero emissions must consider more deeply how the voluntary carbon market treats local actors. Governments, developers, verifiers, and buyers alike must ensure that FPIC and land tenure rights of Indigenous and community territories are being respected and that financial benefits are being shared. Investments in the newest, shiniest technologies must not overlook time-tested local ecological practices and proven methodologies used by Indigenous Peoples and local communities to protect the world’s biodiversity and landscapes.
High-level policy commitments will only succeed if they are grounded in the realities of communities facing the worst of climate change impacts. Until that happens, political action and climate finance will continue to fall short of our ambitions, and time will run out.
