"As Indigenous Peoples, we are the guardians of the ecosystems. We are the guardians of our planet. The transitions of our planet must be guided by our wisdom, by our knowledge. So far in this world, Indigenous Peoples are the best ones who are protecting each and every ecosystem, from the glaciers to the mountains, to the deserts to the savannas, to the forests, to the oceans, rivers, lakes,” said Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Mbororo) at the Just Transition: Indigenous Peoples’ Perspectives, Knowledge, and Lived Experiences Summit, held October 8-10 in Switzerland. Nearly 100 Indigenous leaders from the world’s seven socio-cultural regions reached a unanimous agreement on defining a Just Transition concerning impacted or potentially impacted Indigenous Peoples, which is reflected in the culminating outcome document, “Indigenous Peoples Principles and Protocols for Just Transition.” The document spells out what the transition to “clean” or “green” energy and development must do to respect the rights and protect the well being of Indigenous Peoples.
The Summit was hosted by the Indigenous Peoples Global Coordinating Committee, which is composed of the Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition (of which Cultural Survival is a founding member); the International Indian Treaty Council; Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact; the Saami Council; the Inuit Circumpolar Council; Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Organization’s (PINGO’s) Forum; Aotearoa/New Zealand-based He Kainga Indigenous Solutions; Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica; Association Des Femmes Peules & Peuples Autochtones Du Tchad; Nyungar Nation; United Confederation of Taino People; and the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North.
As governments and corporations increasingly push a low-carbon economy as the primary driver to solve the climate crisis, they often ignore requirements to recognize and integrate Indigenous Peoples’ rights as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly the rights to self-determination and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Without securing Indigenous Peoples’ FPIC and without Indigenous Peoples’ participation throughout project development and implementation, transition mineral mining perpetuates the same harms and rights violations as fossil fuel and traditional resource development. While the promise of technology based on transition minerals such as lithium and cobalt is widely hailed as the solution to climate change, the mining and other extractive processes for these materials are consistently linked to environmental destruction and other negative consequences that disproportionately affect Indigenous Peoples. Among these harmful impacts are loss of biodiversity, increase in violent conflicts, forced displacement, resource depletion, and environmental pollution. Mining operations also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change.
“Two years ago, we began convening Indigenous leaders from around the world to address the increasing violence, harm, and negative impacts that the so-called ‘green’ or ‘clean’ energy transition is perpetuating on our lands and to our communities—the same impacts Indigenous Peoples experience from fossil fuel extractive practices,” said Rodion Sulyandziga (Udege), Chair of the Summit’s Global Coordinating Committee. “The culmination was our Indigenous Just Transition Summit, and this out come document provides unanimous agreement about the definitions, principles, and protocols that must be foundational for Just Transition. These are the first steps for anyone—be it corporate, State, or Indigenous-led enterprise— to build a truly just, sustainable, and inclusive economy for all people of the world,” Sulyandziga said.
Indigenous leaders at the Summit committed to initiating processes for their Peoples to safeguard what they, as stated in the “Indigenous Peoples Principles and Protocols for Just Transition,” “determine to be critical for their survival and well being that is rooted in their worldviews and values” and to “disseminate, promote, and defend these principles and protocols”, as well as “use them in their education, trainings, and advocacy efforts.” They will also continue to “engage and challenge regulations, standards, laws, policies, and actions that ignore their FPIC,” stand in solidarity with one another to oppose the imposition of “green energy” projects impacting their lands, call for “implementation of an ecosystem approach,” and “demand that Indigenous, human, environmental, and lands rights defenders be protected.”
Additionally, they have committed to “utilizing international human rights bodies and national, international, and regional mechanisms to submit urgent complaints to stop States’ actions and rights’ violations,” and refusing to tolerate any forced evictions, displacements, relocations, dispossession, and expulsion, in the name of “green transition” projects. They call for “comprehensive mapping and due diligence procedures for transition minerals development and for social, environmental, and human rights impacts,” as well as the demand for “companies, governments, financial mechanisms, private sector, all responsible parties, to take full responsibility and action for damage, loss of cultural heritage, and other adverse impacts of mining activities to human, biodiversity, ancestral lands, cultural, and spiritual practices, territories and waters.”
Carlos Mamani (Aymara), representing the regions of Central and South America and the Caribbean, said, “We would like to express our vision of a Just Transition based on our rights and livelihoods.” Valentina Sovkina (Sami) from the Russian Federation commented, “This Summit shows our unity...that we can be driven by one idea. We can show how strong we are. We can express our concerns and share our solutions. And it will help us preserve our lands, our Peoples, and our territories. We need to think about future meetings, because the reality is changing and we need to be ready. We need to be united to show how we are really able to provide solutions. I think this is the most important for us as Indigenous Peoples.”
Ruekeith Jampong (Sea Dayak) from Asia discussed how the persistent failure of countries to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights is endangering the lives of Indigenous Peoples, especially women and youth, eroding lands and resources, and impacting biodiversity hotspots. He emphasized that Indigenous Peoples are not just the inhabitants of these areas, but the frontline defenders. “Indigenous rights and voices must be at the forefront of every decision, or the global fight against climate change is destined to fail. We call on the media to expose these injustices and amplify our voices. The world needs to understand that any energy transition project carried out on Indigenous land without respect for our rights, dignity, and sovereignty is nothing more than just a continuation of colonization.”
Te Ngaehe Wanikau (Maori) from the Pacific region spoke about the sacred thread that connects Indigenous Peoples around the world, despite a multitude of languages and cultures. “We are connected through kinship, to every part of existence,” he said. “Our Just Transition is to one day get back to...a world of mutual respect and love. It’s an honor to sit here with our regions. We’re not countries. We’re not governments. We’re the environment that gave birth to us. We’re the descendants of our ancestors. And within us, we carry the stories that bind us as one.”
“For too long, Indigenous voices have been marginalized. From the Amazon to the Arctic, the protection of our environment has always been intertwined with the protection of our people. We are the stewards of the world’s most vital ecosystems, from rainforests to grasslands, and we are the first to suffer when these ecosystems are threatened. The world must understand that there can be no climate justice without Indigenous justice. There can be no green transition without the full participation of Indigenous Peoples. Protecting the Earth means protecting the people who have always protected it. This is our responsibility, and it is also our right. Without Indigenous knowledge, the quest for a green future is a journey without a map. And without Indigenous voices, even the greenest economy will run dry,” Sulyandziga said.
11 PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST TRANSITION ESTABLISHED DURING THE SUMMIT
1. Right to Life
2. Right to Self-determination and Sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples
3. Decolonization
4. Reparations, Land Back, and Full Restoration of Lands
5. Respect for Indigenous Peoples’ Ways of Life
6. Transparency and Accountability
7. Historical Reparations
8. Full Protection of Indigenous Peoples
9. Recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Roles and Responsibilities
10. Maintaining 1.5 Degrees
11. A Rights-based Approach to Supply Chains
Read the full document at indigenoussummit.org.
Nearly 100 Indigenous leaders from the world’s seven socio-cultural regions participated at the Just Transition: Indigenous Peoples’ Perspectives, Knowledge, and Lived Experiences Summit. Photo by Marco Lara, Cultural Survival.
