Human Rights-based, Equitable and Pro-Indigenous Peoples REDD Strategies

1. Human Rights-based, Equitable and Pro-Indigenous Peoples REDD Strategies Rukka Sombolinggi’ Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)

2. The Anchorage Declaration • Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change, 20-24 April, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska. Representatives from the Arctic, North America, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Africa, Caribbean & Russia • Binding emissions reduction target for Annex 1 of at least 45% below 1990 levels by 2020 and at least 95% by 2050. • States to work towards decreasing dependency on fossil fuels • We call on the phase out of fossil fuel development and a moratorium on new fossil fuel developments on or near Indigenous lands and territories. • We call for a process that works towards the eventual phase out of fossil fuels, without infringing on the right to development of Indigenous nations.

3. The Anchorage Declaration • UNFCCC to recognize the importance of Traditional Knowledge and practices in developing strategies to address climate change • UNFCCC’s decision-making bodies to establish formal structures and mechanisms for and with the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples • All initiatives under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) must secure the recognition and implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

4. Climate Change, REDD & indigenous peoples’ rights • Today, most of the world’s remaining tropical and subtropical forests are found in indigenous peoples’ territories. The potential of indigenous peoples’ community-based and collaborative conservation for the protection of forests and biodiversity have been increasingly recognized over the past years. • A recent study in Central America concluded that, “Long-inhabited community forest management for timber can be as effective as uninhabited parks at delivering long-term forest protection under certain circumstances and more effective at delivering local benefits”. • Community-based and collaborative forest conservation have not only been recognized for their potential for effective forest conservation, but because these approaches also address poverty and human rights concerns.

5. REDD and Indigenous Peoples Rights • Despite accounting for approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the reduction of forest loss is not yet included in the international agreements to mitigate climate change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). • A decision on the inclusion of avoiding deforestation and forest degradation in the post-2012 commitment of the Kyoto Protocol is expected to be taken at COP 15, Copenhagen. • Pilot programs in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) have, however, already been initiated by multilateral bodies, most prominently the World Bank, in cooperation with governments, conservation organizations and private companies. These REDD initiatives are foreseen to cause profound effects on the forestry sectors in African, Asian and Latin American countries.

6. REDD & Indigenous Peoples Rights – Issues • How are forests and forest degradation defined? • Who will determine the main drivers of deforestation and degradation? • How to ensure that funding for REDD reach beyond the national forest administrations? • How to ensure that the incentives of gaining income from forest conservation will not lead to the resurgence of a “fence-and-protect” approach in forest management, i.e. the non-participatory zoning and declaration of forest reserves and consequently to an increase of evictions of indigenous and other communities from forests? • How to ensure that the human rights of local and especially the rights of indigenous peoples are not violated? • How to ensure that REDD does not further aggravate poverty by limiting forest-dependent peoples’ access to basic resources? • How to ensure the participation of local and indigenous communities in all stages of program planning and implementation?

7. Opportunities for indigenous peoples within the framework of REDD • REDD can help decrease or stop the destruction or degradation of forests which are vital for indigenous communities throughout the world; • REDD can help bring about reforms of forest laws and strengthen indigenous and other forest communities’ rights over forests, and the legal recognition of community-based forest conservation and collaborative forest management; • REDD can help strengthen community-based forest conservation by indigenous peoples; • It can contribute to poverty alleviation if the needs and concerns of indigenous and other forest communities are taken into consideration in its design, particularly relating to sustainable livelihoods and equitable benefit sharing; • It can contribute to the promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples in general if the basic operational principle of REDD is changed towards a collaborative approach between states and indigenous peoples within the legal framework of the UNDRIP; • Negotiations on REDD can be used to push the UNFCCC to use the UNDRIP as legal framework for designing mitigation and adaptation schemes in general.

8. What are the most possible win-win situation? Full Engagement with the UNFCCC Process • Organize regular Technical Briefings by Indigenous Peoples on Traditional Knowledge & climate change; • Recognize & engage the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change and its regional focal points in an advisory role; • Immediately establish an Indigenous focal point in the secretariat of the UNFCCC; • Appoint Indigenous Peoples’ representatives in UNFCCC funding mechanisms in consultation with Indigenous Peoples; • Take the necessary measures to ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous and local communities in formulating, implementing, and monitoring activities, mitigation, and adaptation relating to impacts of climate change.

9. Coordination with Other REDD–Related Initiatives • World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (at global & national levels) • World Bank’s Forest Investment Program (FIP)  Member of the Sub Committee • Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative • UN-REDD Phase I Pilot Countries: Commenced in March 2009 Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia Asia & Pacific: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam Latin America & Caribbean: Bolivia, Panama, Paraguay

10. What are the most possible win-win situation? National & Community Levels • Increased awareness on climate change and REDD among indigenous peoples, and build their capacity to participate actively in the development of national REDD strategies; • Increased awareness among governments on the need to include concerns of equity, social justice and poverty reduction in general, and the rights and needs of indigenous peoples in particular, in national REDD strategies; • Strengthened indigenous peoples’ community-based forest conservation and to promote REDD partnership between national governments, bilateral and multilateral donors and private companies, and indigenous peoples on the basis of community-based forest management and conservation.

12. Kurre Sumanga’Terima KasihThank You