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Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change

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Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Indigenous peoples and climate change From victims to change agents nt work nt ce through decent work ents through de through ents ag e ng From victims to cha to victims From Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch (GED) Conditions of Work and Equality Department Indigenous Indigenous - change climate and peoples Green Jobs Programme Enterprises Department International Labour Organization (ILO) 4, route des Morillons CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland Tel: +41 22 799 6730 ISBN 978-92-2-130481-4 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.ilo.org INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, GENEVA ILO 9 78 9221 304814 Indigenous peoples and climate change From victims to change agents through decent work GENDER, EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY BRANCH GREEN JOBS PROGRAMME INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, GENEVA Copyright © International Labour Organization 2017 First published 2017 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: rights@ilo. org. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. Indigenous peoples and climate change : from victims to change agents through decent work / International Labour Office, Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch. - Geneva: ILO, 2017. ISBN: 978-92-2-130481-4 (print) ISBN: 978-92-2-130482-1 (web pdf) International Labour Office. Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch. Green Jobs Programme. indigenous people / climate change / decent work / indigenous knowledge / sustainable development 14.08 ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. ILO publications and digital products can be obtained through major booksellers and digital distribution plat- forms, or ordered directly from [email protected]. For more information, visit our website: www.ilo. org/publns or contact [email protected]. This publication was produced by the Document and Publications Production, Printing and Distribution Branch (PRODOC) of the ILO. Graphic and typographic design, layout and composition, printing, electronic publishing and distribution. PRODOC endeavours to use paper sourced from forests managed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner. CODE : SCRIBE-REPRO Contents PREFACE. V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . IX 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 2. WHO ARE “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES”? . 5 3. WHY DO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FACE THREATS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE NOT EXPERIENCED BY OTHER GROUPS OF SOCIETY? . 7 3.1 Poverty and inequality. 8 3.2 Erosion of natural resource-based livelihoods . 9 3.3 Residence in geographical areas exposed to climate change. 11 3.4 Migration and forced displacement . 14 3.5 Gender inequality . 16 3.6 Lack of recognition, rights, institutional support and inclusion in public policies. 18 4. WHAT MAKES INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AGENTS OF CHANGE? . 23 4.1 Economy based on the principles of sustainability. 23 4.2 Unique knowledge and skills . 26 5. HOW CAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES BE EMPOWERED TO BECOME AGENTS OF CHANGE? . 31 5.1 Social protection, sustainable enterprise creation and livelihoods generation targeted at indigenous peoples with a view to simultaneously tackling poverty and environmental degradation. 31 5.2 Recognizing rights, promoting gender equality and building institutions . 33 5.3 Coordination and collaboration across policy areas and intervention levels grounded in evidence-based research . 35 6. ROLE OF THE DECENT WORK AGENDA . 39 iii Preface The adoption in 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, was a major achievement by the international community and the two instruments are expected to translate into major efforts by countries across the globe to review and reinforce their strategies, plans and programmes to bring about inclusive and sustainable development for all. The United Nations system, including the ILO, is expected to support member States in implementing these new and innovative frameworks for development and climate action. Global policy debates and a growing body of research emphasize that indigenous peoples remain among the poorest of the poor while also being particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, it is now recognized that indigenous peoples make critical contributions to efforts to combat climate change and its impacts. The present report explores why indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable to climate change and what could be done to support them in their role as agents of change. In this regard, the report specifically focuses on access to decent work, sustainable enterprises for green growth, and the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), which provides a framework for protecting rights, creating sustainable enterprises, promoting dialogue and participation, and reconciling diverse interests in search of common solutions. It is hoped that the report will contribute to the ongoing debates among and between ILO constituents, indigenous peoples, the United Nations and development partners, and lead to progress in achieving sustainable and inclusive development that leaves no one behind. Manuela Tomei Vic Van Vuuren Director Director Conditions of Work Enterprises and Equality Department Department v Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Rishabh Kumar Dhir and Martin Oelz (Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch) and Marek Harsdorff (Green Jobs Programme). It benefited from feedback and contributions from numerous ILO specialists, including Catherine Saget, Guillermo Montt, Carla Henry and Uma Rani Amara (RESEARCH); Christina Behrendt and Clara Van Panhuys (Social Protection Department); Simel Esim (Cooperatives Unit); Lene Olsen, Carmen Benitez, Hilda Sanchez and Victor Hugo Ricco (Bureau for Workers’ Activities ); Luis Gonzalez and Ilka Schoellmann (Bureau for Employers’ Activities). Special thanks go to Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Coordinator of the Green Jobs Programme, for his support and to Manuela Tomei, Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department, for her feedback and guidance. vii Executive summary The present report analyses the situation of indigenous peoples in the context of climate change. It suggests that indigenous peoples are affected in distinctive ways by climate change, and also by the policies or actions that are aimed at addressing it. At the same time, it high- lights that, as agents of change, indigenous peoples are essential to the success of policies and measures directed towards mitigating and adapting to climate change, and to just transi- tion policies as workers. On the one hand, given the scale and scope of the threats that they face with regard to climate change - including specific threats to their livelihoods, cultures and ways of life - their situation is different from that of other groups and from that of the poor. On the other hand, indigenous peoples, with their traditional knowledge and occupations, have a unique role to play in climate action, cutting across both climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and also just transition policies. Consequently, in order for climate action to be successful, indigenous peoples must be seen as powerful agents of change, accorded access to decent work opportunities and the ability to participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of sustainable policies and measures aimed at combating climate change. Simultaneously, it is also essential that the factors which make indigenous peoples uniquely vulnerable to climate change be addressed in a distinct and targeted manner. A unique combination of threats The report identifies six characteristics that indigenous peoples share where climate policies and the impacts of climate change are concerned. No other group in society has this combi- nation of characteristics. First, indigenous peoples are among the poorest of the poor, and thus the most threatened segment of the world’s population in terms of social, economic and environmental vulnerability. Nearly 15 per cent of the world’s poor are indigenous peoples, even though indigenous peoples constitute an estimated 5 per cent of the world’s population. At the same time, up to 80 per cent
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