COP 17: Political will needed now!
Press statement: POLITICAL WILL NEEDED NOW! Indigenous networks call on states-parties to act decisively in Durban 5 DECEMBER (Durban, South Africa) - Governments present in Durban continue to display lack of political will to move the Durban Climate Talks forward.
“This lack of political will is sure to further accelerate climate change and will lead to disastrous consequences for all us. This will continue to worsen the situation not only of indigenous peoples who already face the brunt of climate change, but also of the whole world,” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Executive Director of Tebtebba, the Philippine-based global indigenous peoples’ policy and research center. The Kyoto Protocol’s future is in doubt as Japan, Canada and Russia have withdrawn their support for a second commitment period starting 2013. There are proposals for a new mechanism by 2015 but is still unclear on how this will proceed. The operationalization of the Green Climate Fund is still under debate and there are disputes related to the Fund’s governance. There are positive developments for indigenous peoples in the current negotiating texts, though. In SBSTA, the texts on REDD+ lays out guidance on how safeguards are being addressed and respected in REDD projects. These safeguards include international human rights such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and environmental laws; and full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in REDD processes. In the draft texts of the LCA, there is a section on Indigenous Peoples that recognizes that “impacts of response measures on indigenous peoples is a matter that need appropriate and responsible attention for all parties of the Convention.” It also calls for the “full respect of human rights, including…indigenous peoples [as] established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” according to Joan Carling of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. However, political will is needed to ensure that concrete decisions are done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An outcome in Durban that falls short of this expectation will be disastrous for indigenous peoples and the whole world.
Tags: Climate, Press releases
