Vea a la invitación en Español: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mMkilq4WD1F0AzW6Z08pfW2D-DJXwIbTmMosXYxhT6o/edit

Featured Guests

• Mercedes Say, Pueblo Maya K'iche', International Mayan League, Guatemala
• Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, Inuit, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Alaska
• Patricia Gualinga, Pueblo Kichwa de Sarayaku, Human Rights and Amazon Defender, Ecuador

Moderated by Noam Unger, Vice President, Development Policy, Advocacy & Learning, InterAction

Additional speakers may be announced.

Wednesday, October 14th, 2020

11:00am-12:00noon ET

Zoom information will be shared with all those who RSVP prior to the event via email.

For centuries, Indigenous peoples and local communities have protected more than half of the world’s forests. They are the custodians of traditional knowledge, resources, practices, and customs which play a critical role in building resiliency against climate change and preserving ecosystems necessary for its mitigation. Instead of being protected, Indigenous peoples globally face increasing human rights abuses, the challenges of climate-induced migration, and disproportionate impacts of COVID-19. Ethnic and racial discrimination against such peoples  are root causes and products of environmental destruction and climate change.

Join InterAction and Church World Service for an event highlighting Indigenous peoples on the front lines of environmental protection, resilience, and climate mitigation in the Americas, and the policymakers working to make Indigenous peoples visible at home and abroad.

Speakers will discuss how the advocacy community can support Indigenous communities as they raise their voices about climate change and environmental degradation through existing mechanisms such as the UNFCCC Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples' Platform (LCIPP) at COP26 and on-going advocacy. Civil society and faith groups are well-positioned to push their national delegations to defend nature and human rights and incorporate the full participation of Indigenous peoples and other communities as central components of their climate plans.

This event is designed as a listening session for NGOs and other stakeholders to hear the experiences of Indigenous peoples to better understand the unique risks and opportunities they face when addressing climate change and environmental degradation. It supports one of the key tenets of InterAction’s NGO Climate Compact to “ensure that the voices of affected peoples and communities and the local institutions that serve them are represented in policy and programmatic decisions.”

Instructions on how to access the different language channels will be provided to RSVPs with the call-in details ahead of the event.

Questions? Contact Lindsey Doyle, ldoyle@interaction.org or Jasmine Huggins, jhuggins@cwsglobal.org