Respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and enhancing their participation in climate change processes play a crucial role in addressing climate change, indigenous representatives from Asia stressed Thursday. Indigenous peoples, who have long been marginalized in climate discussions and excluded in decision-making processes, safeguard 80% of the world’s biodiversity and hold many of the solutions to the climate crisis.
The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate, representing indigenous peoples at the Asia Pacific Climate Week 2023 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, emphasized that indigenous peoples should be treated as “key partners” in climate change dialogue, not merely beneficiaries. Despite constituting less than 5% of the global population, indigenous peoples are widely regarded as the best stewards of nature