Bonn, Germany, UN Climate negotiations, 2 April 2009
Indigenous activists from Africa, Latin America and Asia joined other civil society organisations for a briefing session with Dr Yvo de Boer, Executive Director of the UN Secretariat for the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC).
Ms Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, IPACC Executive member from Chad, posed Mr de Boer a question about the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). Speaking in French, Ms Ibrahim asked the ED why the NAPAs, an instrument of the FCCC for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) did not make explicit reference to the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities.
”I think everyone knows that we, nomadic pastoralists from Africa, have been coping with unreliable rain for centuries and even more intensely in recent years. Our economic subsistence is based on mobility and adaptation. It does not make sense to speak of national adaptation if you do not include traditional knowledge and the role of indigenous peoples.”
de Boer agreed, but noted that the NAPAs had not thought about the importance of traditional knowledge when they were designed. Now, post facto, he suggested that one way to get the issue on the agenda of the FCCC was to link up with gender issues. Member states are starting to take more seriously the role of women in adaptation, and as indigenous women are primary holders of traditional knowledge this would be a chance to link the two issues up and strengthen the NAPAs.
Tebtebba’s spokesperson raised the issue of REDD again as a concern for indigenous peoples and the need to ensure a fair and transparent process.
In addition;
The IPACC delegation to the UN Climate talks wrapped up its work this weekend. Highlights included a meeting between indigenous activists and the Bolivian Minister of the Environment, a workshop with UNESCO on traditional knowledge of nature, a meeting with Daniela Tarizzo of the Convention to Combat Desertification, a workshop with Conservation International on technology and adaptation, submission of recommendations from IPACC to a Tebtebba meeting on climate change, and a dialogue with UNFCCC Executive Director, Dr Yvo de Boer.
IPACC was represented by Ms Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Chad) and Mr ag Aly Lahyerou (Mali). A Kenyan team was due to attend but in the end were unable to make the event. Kenya will be launching its national dialogue on REDD this month.
IPACC’s team concentrated on following the adaptation negotiations in the Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA) wing of the climate negotiations. IPACC also monitored the discussions on technology and financing. The North and South remained in deadlock after a week with each side insisting that the other should move first. China and the G77 say they want the West to clarify how much money is available for technology transfer, mitigation and adaptation. The Western donor states are saying: show us your plans and then we will talk about financing. Overall, there was some progress in consensus building as more and more states acknowledge that relying solely on market revenues from carbon credit trading is not going to be adequate or predictable, and that Western states need to commit a clear amount of public funding which is not part of existing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).
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