By Brian Keane, co-founder of Land is Life
In the scramble for the Earth’s dwindling resources, Indigenous Peoples are often seen as simply in the way, obstacles to Western notions of progress. The territories that they depend upon for life are being destroyed by mining, logging, oil extraction, industrial agriculture, and the building of dams, highways, and other large-scale infrastructure projects. States – in the name of ‘development’ – carry out policies of oppression, destroying communities, lives and livelihoods.
Astonishingly, at the same time, there is a growing body of evidence and emergent international consensus that Indigenous Peoples have a pivotal role to play in addressing the multiple crises (polycrisis) that the world is currently facing. As humanity struggles to find solutions to the challenges presented by global climate change, biodiversity loss, and expanding conflicts over natural resources, the scientific, conservation and development communities are beginning to realise that their best allies are the world’s Indigenous Peoples. Finding our way through the polycrisis will be difficult – if not impossible – to do without allowing Indigenous Peoples to assume their rightful role as partners in the creation of a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
The proof is clear. Indigenous Peoples safeguard 80% of the Earth’s biological diversity. Their territories are among the last places on the planet where we can still find clean riverine systems, healthy forests, and intact large-scale landscapes. Their food systems are sustainable and equitable, provide nutritious foods to hundreds of millions of people, enhance biological diversity, enrich the topsoil, and are resilient to the impacts of climate change. In fact, research to date consistently finds that development, conservation and climate change adaptation and mitigation carried out with respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, identities, and cultures is not only practical, feasible and functional, but it also leads to more successful outcomes.
What is needed now, urgently, is a transformation in the way that the world approaches the polycrisis. The philanthropic community can play a leading role in this transformation by revolutionising their own practices and developing a new approach that validates the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and is grounded in a realistic assessment of their vulnerabilities. An approach that is rights-based and has as its core principle support for Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination, as outlined in Articles 3, 18-20, 23 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (see text box below).
Self-determination is the right that enables the realisation of all the other rights of Indigenous Peoples, and it is important to remember that achieving self-determination requires comprehensive, holistic support. It is a struggle that requires support for Indigenous Peoples’ governance structures and strategies, strengthening local economies, alliance building, and community organising, as well as legal assistance, education, and support for those brave communities and individuals who are putting their lives at risk to defend their territories and their right to self-determination.
This self-determination-oriented approach is not only a moral requirement, it is consistent with international human rights law, and it is the only approach that has ever proven successful. For those who work in the philanthropic community who are committed to working towards a world in which Indigenous Peoples’ rights are respected, where their governance systems and customary laws are fully recognised, and where members of Indigenous communities may continue the work of safeguarding their territories and maintaining their cultural traditions without fear of intimidation, harassment, discrimination or violence, I leave you with some suggestions on priorities for moving forward:
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Defend the defenders
Criminalisation, attacks, and killings of Indigenous human rights defenders are worrisome global trends that are increasing at an alarming rate. There is a significant human rights concern regarding the growing tendency to use laws and the justice system as a common tactic to silence activists, dissuade protests and punish and deem the legitimate demands by Indigenous peoples and organisations as criminal acts.
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Support the development of community protocols on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
FPIC is a necessary legal and political tool that promotes self-determination and enables Indigenous peoples to protect their rights to their lands, territories and livelihoods. It is based on each community’s own norms, vision of development, and systems of communal decision-making and justice—all fundamental rights protected by ILO Convention 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Reach out to Indigenous communities and organisations that do not have access to traditional funding sources
Change always happens from the bottom up, and there’s a lot of important work going on out there. Philanthropy should seek to engage and fund Indigenous People.
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Co-create, with Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous-led initiatives to reform conservation
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the vital role that Indigenous Peoples play in conservation, and we have seen efforts by the conservation community to address human rights issues. Despite this, violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in relation to conservation initiatives – including the establishing of protected areas, biodiversity protection strategies, forest management programmes and carbon sequestration projects – continue. It is time for Indigenous Peoples to lead on this issue.
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Engage, Engage, Engage
Establish partnerships with Indigenous communities and organisations, particularly those who are not usually on the radar of the philanthropic community (see #3 above). Strengthen local ecosystems for locally-led development, support Indigenous-led funds, and allow Indigenous Peoples themselves to establish funding and programme priorities and strategies. They know what they need.
Brian Keane has been working with Indigenous Peoples’ communities for nearly forty years. He is co-founder of Land is Life, served as Rapporteur for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2017-2019), and was appointed – during the Obama Administration – as the first Advisor for Indigenous Peoples’ Issues for United States Foreign Assistance.
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