First published on 08/09/2020, and last updated on 09/04/2020
By Claire Martens, Natural Justice (ICCA Consortium Member).
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Natural Justice (ICCA Consortium Member) launched the third edition of the Living Convention. The Living Convention is a response to this important and often-asked question: “What are the rights of Indigenous peoples, local communities, peasants and their organisations at the international level?” It provides a foundation to ensure people are in a stronger position to understand the law, shape the law and use the law.
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on the 9th of August every year, Natural Justice launched the third edition of the Living Convention. The Living Convention was developed by Harry Jonas and Marie Joyce Godio.
The Living Convention has emerged from Natural Justice’s work with Indigenous peoples, local communities, peasants and their organisations. It is a response to an important and often-asked question, namely: “What are our rights at the international level?” This question does not have a straightforward answer.
The Living Convention is an easy-to-use resource on the full spectrum of international law relating to the links between humans and non-human nature. It is designed to democratise international law, and in doing so, better enable Indigenous peoples, local communities and peasants to understand, assert and affirm their international rights and local responsibilities.
The Living Convention has particular significance during this time of climate and planetary crisis. With increased levels of natural disasters, limited access to clean drinking water, sea level rise, droughts, conflicts and climate-induced migration, the rights of Indigenous peoples, local communities and peasants are under increasing threat. The Living Convention provides a foundation to ensure people are in a stronger position to understand the law, shape the law and use the law.
The third edition of the Living Convention is comprised of two volumes:
- Volume I contains a compendium of internationally recognised rights that support the integrity and resilience of Indigenous peoples’, local communities’ and peasants’ territories and other social-ecological systems.
- Volume II sets out the rationale and methodology of the research undertaken to develop the compendium.
This revised edition of the Living Convention includes new internationally agreed instruments such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas and represents a further step in an ongoing process of ensuring that state and non-state actors are held accountable to international legal standards. It was produced as part of the legal analyses under the Global Support Initiative on ICCAs.
