Indigenous Affairs 1-2/08: Climate Change From an Indigenous Perspective: Key Issues and Challenges

In February 2008, the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) organised and held a two-day conference on “Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change”, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference was considered as part of the preparations for IWGIA’s input to the 7th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues1 as well as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen in 2009.

Sixty people – indigenous peoples’ representatives, Danish Foreign Ministry staff, Greenland Home Rule representatives, development practitioners and members of IWGIA – participated in the conference. The event focused on the key issues facing indigenous peoples in the context of climate change, including the human rights aspects. The discussions went beyond the observations and impacts of climate change and looked at how global mitigation policies, political processes and regulations facilitate or prevent indigenous peoples in their efforts to respond and adapt to climate change. This article summarises the discussions held during the conference and the key issues identified