Filipino indigenous peoples to push biodiversity plan at UN summit

The United Nations logo is seen on a fence at the United Nations headquarters on December 12, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

MANILA, Philippines – A delegation of Filipino indigenous peoples will push for their biodiversity action plan at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD) summit in Colombia later in October.

The Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity Coalition Philippines (IPBC) will present their alternative approach to conservation and sustainable use at the UN CBD’s 16th Conference of Parties (COP) in Cali, Colombia, beginning on October 21 and ending on November 1.

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“We hope it sends the signal to world leaders that they must let indigenous peoples lead as we have the blueprints to save life on Earth as we know it,” Asami Segundo, a youth from the Ikalahan-Kalanguya people, said at the group’s press conference Saturday.

The Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IPBSAP) is the result of the group’s year-long consultation with communities to formulate best local conservation practices.

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“It is supported by actual local community knowledge, practices and initiatives that need to be recognized as valuable contributions of indigenous peoples to biodiversity conservation in policy formulation, legislation and governance,” Ibaloy leader Jill Cariño said.

The IPBSAP was formally accepted last August by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, saying the indigenous-led plan will be integrated into the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Inspired by a growing commitment to sustainable development, the CBD was signed by 168 parties in a 1992 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The convention’s first COP was held in 1994.