Article - ICCA Consortium

Karen Indigenous youth are leading self-determination and revitalizing territories of life in Myanmar: Esther Wah

19 September 2023

Esther Wah is the Secretary of the All Burma Indigenous Peoples Alliance (ABIPA) and a Council member (Thematic representative for youth and intergenerational relations) of the ICCA Consortium. In this interview, Ms. Wah talks about how the Indigenous Karen youth are becoming a driving force in securing self-determination and revitalizing the Indigenous governance and management systems in our ancestral territories of life. Read more ▸

Indigenous youth are leading the movement to live in harmony with nature: Aquilas Koko Ngomo

8 September 2023

Aquilas Koko Ngomo is a Policy and Advocacy Co-coordinator for Africa with the ICCA Consortium. In this interview, Mr. Ngomo talks about the role of the Indigenous youth in defending and sustaining their ancestral territories of life. He also reflects on the opportunities for collaboration across societies and generations in the movement to bring large-scale systemic changes to ensure living in harmony. Read more ▸

Defending territories, defending lives

13 July 2023

Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia navigate their place within the legal frameworks of the nation-states. The extent of their self-determination depends on the strength and resilience of their assertions, and the space nation-states provide for such self-determination to be exercised. Read more ▸

Celebrating territories of life in Southeast Asia: Why this publication

22 June 2023

The publication celebrates all the efforts of caring for and protecting Territories of Life against all odds. Not all the stories have a happy ending; in fact, many communities are still in the midst of their struggles for their land, for peace, and for life. Read more ▸

Let’s put our People of the Ocean first

7 June 2023

To ensure effective, equitable, and sustainable approaches to ocean governance and management, we must first put the “People of the Ocean”—the custodians and guardians of the ocean—first. Read more ▸

World Oceans Day: The voices of guardians of Territories of Life in Mesoamerica

6 June 2023

We invite you to celebrate World Oceans Day 2023 with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afrodescendant communities in Mesoamerica, Read more ▸

How philanthropists can be better allies to Indigenous Peoples

26 May 2023

Indigenous activist, Milka Chepkorir, speaks about how philanthropy can be a better ally to, and advocate for, the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting biodiversity. Read more ▸

Third National Assembly of ICCAs – territories of life of Burkina Faso

18 May 2023

In November 2022, the National Association of ICCAs of Burkina Faso and NATUDEV organised the 3rd National Assembly of ICCAs of Burkina Faso. We take a look back at a concrete instance of sharing and commitment between local communities and external partners. Read more ▸

Documenting and mapping governance, management and values of territories of life in Southeast Asia

20 April 2023

“Community mapping is the most effective method that can facilitate the identification of the ICCA and the conduct of local resource assessment and inventories.” Read more ▸

Neighbors join forces to defend their territories of life in Malaysia

19 April 2023

The Penan and the Kenyah Indigenous Peoples in Northern Sarawak, the Malaysian state of Borneo, work together on sustaining and nurturing their territories of life. Read more ▸

P. V. Satheesh: a quiet revolutionary walks on

18 April 2023

P.V. Satheesh—the quiet revolutionary who helped transform the lives of Dalit women farmers in India—passed away on March 19, 2023. He was 77. The founder of the Deccan Development Society worked for agro-biodiversity, food sovereignty, women’s empowerment, Dalit rights, social justice, and local knowledge systems. Read more ▸

Our fight for the forest – the future of Indigenous territories in the wake of the Myanmar coup

5 March 2023

Forests in Indigenous territories in Myanmar face an uncertain future. The military has targeted environmental defenders for their work protecting their lands from theft and destruction by military-run companies and their cronies. Read more ▸

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework takes important steps for social and environmental justice

9 February 2023

After years of negotiations and many COVID-induced delays, Indigenous Peoples and local communities successfully advocated for key forms of recognition, marking a new minimum standard in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The ICCA Consortium’s international policy team provides an initial analysis of the key outcomes of COP15. Read more ▸

The territories of life in Latin America face significant challenges: Diagnosis of the 3rd Regional Assembly

3 February 2023

In the Assembly that took place in Costa Rica, the representatives identified the main threats to the Territories of Life in the region. Likewise, they identified possible solutions and hopes for the future. Read more ▸

Adivasi women’s kitchen gardening in western India: study explores how knowledge on food systems is articulated and shared

23 October 2022

A study on Adivasi women’s kitchen gardening in western India highlights women’s expertise and knowledge in household food production, transformation, and consumption. María Villalpando Páez led the study in collaboration with the Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group (ICCA Consortium Member). Read more ▸

Community fisheries and the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference

2 September 2022

During the recent United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, the ICCA Consortium supported the participation of various Member organizations, fishers, and representatives of Indigenous and local communities. Vivienne Solís Rivera and Marvin Fonseca (CoopeSoliDar R.L, ICCA Consortium Member) recount how participants from Indigenous and local communities made an impact in securing better recognition of their rights and more holistic conservation of the oceans. Read more ▸

Reflections from the 2022 UN Ocean Conference: A long way to go

1 September 2022

Many UN member states participating in the UN Ocean Conference still have a long way to go towards recognizing Indigenous Peoples and local communities as part of the solutions to restoring our aquatic ecosystems. Read more ▸

Post-2020 global biodiversity framework: grassroots consultation on domestic implications in India

26 August 2022

Consultation organized by ICCA Consortium Members KRAPAVIS and Kalpavriksh delves into communities’ concerns with protected areas, potential implications of draft global targets on area-based conservation, and domestic legal tools and locally determined strategies to strengthen community rights in this context. Read more ▸

Youth Group Chair: Only a human rights-based approach will address biodiversity loss

27 July 2022

In this World View article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, Josefa Cariño Tauli shares a personal perspective, as a young Indigenous woman, on why it is so critical to heed long-standing calls for human rights, justice and equity in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Read more ▸

Leadership urgently needed to deliver an equitable and comprehensive global biodiversity framework

26 July 2022

Through the major caucuses, ICCA Consortium Members and Honorary members advocated for recognition of human rights, collective lands, territories and resources of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, environmental defenders, gender equality, future generations and more in the fourth round of in-person negotiations of the post-2020 framework. Read more ▸