Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ participation in climate policy processes

Indigenous Peoples have been portrayed as highly vulnerable to climate change while at the same time possessing skills and knowledge that are critical to the climate response. Indigenous Peoples’ participation in environmental governance is one of several key pathways through which they actively engage “with the management of and relationships to nature”. However, they have been underrepresented in reports fundamental to the emergence of climate-resilient food, land, and water systems. In recent years, there has been greater recognition of the importance of respecting indigenous rights in climate policy and ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ active participation in climate fora.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to end poverty in all its forms. Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were underpinned by the pledge that “no one will be left behind”. The achievement of many SDGs is dependent on the fostering of climate-resilient food, land and water systems, and ensuring that sustainable development is equitable and inclusive.

This particularly applies to Indigenous Peoples who continue to be the poorest among the poor irrespective of the poverty line used. This raises the issue of climate justice and ensures that Indigenous Peoples’ right to full and effective participation in policy processes is upheld in climate change fora, especially the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

PLOS Climate has published several opinion articles about Indigenous People’s active participation in climate change processes. We build on these by stressing the importance of a more granular approach to climate justice and Indigenous Peoples’ participation in climate policy processes.