CBD COP16 and Climate COP29: Shared Learnings, Collaborative Solutions, and the Way Forward

2024 remained a crucial year for international policy making on climate and biodiversity issues, two issues directly interlinked with the rights of the Indigenous Peoples. The 16^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) was organized in Cali, Colombia from 21 October – 01 November 2024. Right after it, the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) took place in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11- 22 November 2024. Both of these COPs remained historic in terms of setting key outcomes such as establishment of Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8 (j) and Setting a New Climate Finance Goals of mobilizing USD 300 billion per year by 2035 and scaling of climate finance to developing countries to at least USD 1.3 trillion per year respectively.

The establishment of Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) by CDB COP16 is being celebrated by the Indigenous Peoples globally because the Article 8(j) of the Convent on Biological Diversity recognizes unique role of Indigenous Peoples in conserving biodiversity and their dependency on it. Through the Subsidiary Body Indigenous Peoples for the first time will be able to formally participate and contribute directly to the CBD’s decision making related to knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples and equitable benefit sharing among other things. On the other hand, International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) also known as the IPs Caucus has called out COP29 outcome for failing to deliver the adequate climate finance, excluding the human rights and rights of the Indigenous People and prompting false solutions.

The coming years are crucial for advancing the implementation of these outcomes although it falls short in addressing rights of the Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous Women who holds the key position as custodians of the Indigenous knowledge and practices will be directly impacted by decision-making and action plans around these procedures. Given the limited access of Indigenous Peoples to resource distributions, the philanthropy sector plays a crucial role in addressing the gaps left by climate finance mechanisms both in terms of quantity and quality of funds (e.g. accessibility, availability, and terms and conditions).

As a way forward to realize the rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized in both of these Conventions, it is imperative to work in collaboration and learn from the process and best practices of each of these mechanism in terms of respecting rights of the Indigenous Peoples. With this overarching goal we are organizing this event to pave the way forward for COPs in 2025 to work
more collaboratively across biodiversity and climate sectors with our members and the community.

Objective of the session:
1. Reflecting on and analyzing the key outcomes of CBD COP 16 and UNFCCC COP29 in terms of the rights of the Indigenous Peoples?
2. Exploring ways forward for strategies to ensure dedicated, equitable and directly accessible funding for Indigenous Peoples in climate and biodiversity conservation?
3. How can we work together to bridge both outcomes of COP16 and COP29 for Indigenous Peoples’ rights in preparation for the 2025 COPs?

Moderator: Jessica Brown, Executive Director, New England Biolabs Foundation
Speakers 
1. Lucy Mulenkei – Vice President, International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI)
2. Eileen Mairena Cunnigham- Indigenous Peoples’ Focal Point for the UNFCCC
3. Lakpa Nuri Sherpa – Coordinator, Environment Program, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)
4. Kate Landon – Executive Director, Ban Ki-moon Foundation
5. Erika Miller – Head of Climate, WINGS Network