IIFB intervention on Article 8(j) delivered by Polina Shulbaeva

Polina Shulbaeva

Dear Madam Chair the IIFB supports the use of  the words “indigenous peoples and local communities” in all decisions and documents of the CBD, in accordance with the recommendation from the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and welcomes the numerous Parties proposals to adopt this terminology.

The Convention on Biological Diversity was among the first conventions recognizing indigenous and local communities’ participation in its work. International and national legal standards and norms now embrace the term indigenous peoples, for example, Rio + 20, the RAMSAR Convention and the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The use of the term “indigenous peoples and local communities” represents an important and symbolic signal to overcome this historical discrimination against indigenous peoples.

Thanks