A slow step forward towards Copenhagen - Governments urged to support indigenous peoples' rights in REDD and climate change policies

Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) met in Bonn in June and adopted a negotiating text for the Copenhagen meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15). The draft text contains various references to indigenous peoples, to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). The Subsidiary Body, SBSTA, finalised a draft decision on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) calling for indigenous peoples' engagement in monitoring, verification and reporting, but falls short of acknowledging the relevance of indigenous peoples' rights. 

Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) met in Bonn in June 2009 and produced a 199-page draft negotiating document for the Copenhagen COP 15 (only available in English at present) that some observers described as a 'rough piece of marble' that needs to be carved out and chiselled.

A rough piece of marble may have some good veins. In fact, the negotiating text contains interesting references to indigenous peoples that can be further enriched by taking into account the recommendations of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCCC). These go beyond the exclusive focus on REDD, and are based upon the letter and spirit of the Anchorage Declaration on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change.

In fact, the negotiating draft refers to indigenous peoples both in terms of vulnerability to climate change by recognising the role of traditional knowledge in adaptation and mitigation, and in the need to ensure compliance of climate-related actions with international human rights obligations and standards - such as those contained in the UNDRIP. A remarkable development from the original draft on REDD+ has been the inclusion of bracketed language on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). However, reference to UNDRIP risks being watered down by proposed language that gives key relevance to existing national legislation.

Much of the discussion at the Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) was dominated by a confrontation between developing countries and industrialised countries, as to the relevance of reduction commitments contained in the Kyoto Protocol, and to a fair allocation of commitments connected to the historical debt accumulated by industrialised countries.

The parallel meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA 30) discussed, among other issues, the methodological implications of REDD.

FPP, as well as many other observer organisations, had submitted an articulated document on indigenous peoples' rights and REDD.

Since the SBSTA chair argued that rights did not fall within its remit, much of the discussion was restricted to monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), with some parties pointing to the need to ensure that indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge play a role in monitoring carbon stocks and building historical baselines.

The final result of the SBSTA discussion is a draft decision on REDD that refers to the need to 'engage' indigenous peoples in MRV, and invites further work to develop methodologies. The relevance of this decision will depend on the final agreement on more 'political' issues such as indigenous peoples' rights and their relevance for REDD.

Forest Peoples Programme will continue to monitor the negotiations at UNFCCC level, supporting indigenous peoples' advocacy efforts and urging a stronger commitment by the parties to ensure that the Copenhagen agreement be solidly based on human and indigenous peoples' rights, while recognising the stewardship role of indigenous peoples' and their unique contribution to climate justice.