Hand in hand, over time and with consistency: A conversation about allyship with Joyce Godio
In late September 2025, Joyce Godio facilitated a panel during New York Climate Week, which asked What does good allyship with Indigenous Peoples look like?
The event was co-organised by FPP, Akar Initiative (Indonesia) and the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation (Peru). Here, in conversation with FPP, Joyce shares some reflections from the event, her thoughts on allyship, flexible funding of Indigenous organisations, and the shared but differentiated responsibilities we all have towards safeguarding Indigenous Peoples’ rights and lands.
I’ve always known that as Indigenous Peoples, we are considered marginalized. Growing up as an Indigenous person from Ibaloi-Kankanaey-Kalanguya of the Igorots of the Cordilleras in the Philippines, I’ve had classmates who would make fun of my identity. The stereotype is that you’re everything that is not good; dumb, dirty and so on. But thanks to my family, and because I grew up in an Indigenous community who are proud of its culture and identity, I wasn’t largely affected by that. I knew they were wrong.
Later, both through my university studies and working within the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), I realized that it’s not the same for others. I’ve encountered stories that elsewhere in Asia some Indigenous people try to hide their identity out of shame. Others hide for security. I’ve met colleagues from Bangladesh or Myanmar, for instance, who sometimes can’t sleep without the fear of someone barging in from outside. That’s why I love talking with people from other Indigenous communities, individual leaders; I learn so much, and I’m in awe of the challenges they face and the work that they do in support of their communities.
What does ‘good allyship’ with Indigenous Peoples mean to you?
A few weeks ago, Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) asked me to facilitate a panel discussion during New York Climate Week (NYCW), which asked What does good allyship with Indigenous peoples look like? During the event they launched Valuing Allyship, a report that showcases case studies from research I carried out to find lessons from some of the long-term, trusting relationships between FPP and different Indigenous organizations.
For me, being a good ally to Indigenous Peoples means truly walking hand in hand, over time and with consistency, toward a shared goal, whether that’s protecting land rights, advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights, or climate resilience. It’s not about one-time support, providing funding and waiting for reports; it’s about shared ownership of the successes, and the mistakes. And it’s about trust, which takes years to build."
Talking with Indigenous leaders for those case studies, and through working with organizations of varying capacities and resources, I’ve seen how much good can come from Indigenous organizations having access to funding that they control. It brings a sense of ownership, of flexibility to change track when the reality changes on the ground. There’s also a confidence that comes from running things without someone else thinking for you, while trusting that they will be there with support when you need it. These things are difficult to measure, but they make a world of difference.
I have to admit that I had questions about what FPP and the co-organizers of the ‘good allyship’ event at NYCW wanted to achieve, especially because I wasn’t sure of what an ally and allyship meant. I think if there had been a space to introduce the terms and the process – ally and allyship, which aren’t yet a common part of the language of the international funding ecosystem, it would have been a good jump-off point to start identifying what makes a good ally or allyship. Regardless, however, the audience understood what needs recognizing; building relationships with local partners that go beyond log frames and providing money.
A comment someone made at the event really stuck in my mind because it highlighted a concern around clarifying terminology. He said that the challenge wasn’t how to convince people in the room – they are already on board – but how to get people who aren’t already with us, or even within our networks, to at least understand where we’re coming from and not stand in the way. The question is whether it is more effective to try to expand the meaning of existing terms – Rainforest Foundation US talks about ‘strategic intermediation’, IIED talks about being an ‘effective’ intermediary – or to choose a different word that emphasises non-financial relationships and walking alongside each other – allyship. I think I leave that for FPP to address.
Whatever the terminology though, what is important is the building of trust and valuing shared accountability, which are central to the sustainability of the relationship."
What are some of the challenges to being a good ally?
Many, including funders, already understand the value of direct funding for Indigenous organisations as an effective way to support them in their own struggles, and in acknowledgement of their outsized but often under-recognized role in protecting lands and ecosystems. RRI and Rainforest Foundation Norway’s recent ‘State of Funding for Tenure Rights’ report found that Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples tenure rights still only receive less than a 1% share of all climate philanthropy and ODA, but funding from foundations that directly mentions Indigenous Peoples organizations quadrupled between 2017–20 and 2021–24.
The problem is still with who can access that funding. It oftens ends up only the more established organisations, including legitimate Indigenous organizations. That’s okay, we want them in the room of course. It’s just that instead of a funding ecosystem dominated by one or two recipient organizations, even if they are legitimately Indigenous organizations or Indigenous communities, we should make it more accessible to smaller or grassroots organizations.
It’s not easy for a donor to work directly with organizations or communities without first building trust, and vice-versa. If you're a community or a small local organization, it's hard to get recognized by bigger donors. It is also hard for smaller organizations to access funding because they might not have the administrative or technical infrastructure that the donors demand. Familiarity is a huge factor in building trust. That’s why having good, solidarity-oriented, allies and intermediaries is important – they help bridge not just administrative, or financial gaps, but also the trust gap, which can’t be rushed.
I’ve seen this with some groups in Asia, where there isn’t real trust, people hesitate to say they don’t understand something or that they’ve run into a problem until it’s too late. Say a typhoon comes and now I don’t know what to do, because we’re delayed in implementing a project – with trust I can bring that to you and we’ll figure it out.
So, genuine allyship isn’t just about giving or receiving funds; it’s about creating a relationship where people feel safe to share, ask, and learn together."
Any final thoughts?
When your partners face challenges, you feel it. When they succeed, you celebrate with them. Trust and relationships are strengthened when you also share the risks, the mistakes. Often these are opportunities to learn and build stronger relations together. And yes, that takes years.
Good allyship also means knowing when to step back; supporting local organizations until they’re ready to lead on their own and then using your role to open doors for others who need the same support.
All the partners that I talked to for Valuing Allyship have known and worked with FPP for a long time, often more than a decade. It’s not easy to remove that. Peter Kitelo, one of the leaders I spoke with, says that even the mistakes should be understood as part of the learning together. From both sides.
And finally, I think sometimes good allies can feel a bit embarrassed to share their success. Maybe it feels too much like bragging or trying to outshine the peoples you support. But it’s not about that. It’s just sharing what you’ve learned, so that other people can also learn from that. That’s something I’d like to tell FPP and all other good allies out there: you have a perspective that should be shared. You can say, “we’ve learned from our partners doing this work alongside them”, and it’s something that others can also learn from, and improve. It’s worth sharing.
Overview
- Resource Type:
- News
- Publication date:
- 16 December 2025
