Category: Uncategorized

Article written and published originally by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

Under the key theme “Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests”, the fifteenth World Forestry Congress, held from 2 to 6 May 2022 in Korea, provided a platform for around 10,000 participants from all over the world to discuss the fundamental role of forests in the global sustainable development agenda.

Within the conference sub-theme, “Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity”, the side-event “Communities Speak: Indigenous Peoples’ Local Actions and Initiatives are Vital to Implement the Paris Agreement and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework” was co-organized by the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), and the Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) on 5 May 2022, as part of their #CommunitiesSpeak advocacy agenda. #CommunitiesSpeak is an advocacy agenda that weaves together the voices and experiences of a network of smallholders, community forest and farm producers and enterprises, Indigenous Peoples, and Local Communities living in forests and forested landscapes.

The hybrid side event, attended by around 60 participants from across the world, opened space to reflect on the essential roles and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the global fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as to explore advances, challenges and recommendations in relation to Indigenous Peoples’ biodiversity and climate change engagement at different levels, in particular, in relation to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Moderated by Lhakpa Nuri Sherpa, Head of the Environment Programme of AIPP, the event featured indigenous speakers from different organizations and communities from Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. While the first three presentations provided the audience with insights on climate and biodiversity action and advocacy from an international, regional and national perspective, this broader focus was complemented by local stories from two Indigenous Women leaders on biodiversity protection and climate change resilience in their communities.

In her presentation “Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP): Opportunity to amplify the stories and initiatives of Indigenous Peoples”, Ms. Pasang Dolma Sherpa, Co-chair of the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the LCIPP, and Executive Director of the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Research & Development (CIPRED), highlighted that Indigenous Peoples, while comprising only around 6% of the global population, safeguard more than 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity, and thus, play a key role in climate protection.

Ms. Sherpa shared that, for the first time in history, the 2022 report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability refers to the recognition of the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples as integral to successful forest adaptation in many areas. According to the speaker, the recognition and protection of their inherent rights forms the basis for Indigenous Peoples to continue their traditional resource management and thus, to contribute to solutions to current global crises. However, present forest regimes continue to neglect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and values, and fail to recognize their significant contributions to biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation. In particular, the 30x 30 initiative, a plan to conserve 30% of planet’s land and sea areas by 2030, is posing threats to Indigenous Peoples and their traditional livelihoods. Ms. Sherpa stressed that a human rights-based approach is the only solution to ensure sustainable conservation, not only as a necessary means to protect indigenous knowledge systems, and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and climate change, but also as the most cost-efficient way of conservation.

In the second part of her presentation, the speaker shared in-depth insights in Indigenous Peoples’ engagement in global climate change processes. She introduced the work of the FWG, established in 2018, with the objective of further operationalizing the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), and of facilitating the implementation of its three function of knowledge exchange, capacity building, and the design and implementation of climate policies and actions. She elaborated on the different layers of activities of the FWG within the UNFCCC, including various meetings and dialogues bringing together Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities (IPLC), and state parties, to ensure an equal footing and a holistic approach to climate solutions.

Finally, Ms. Sherpa reflected on the key achievements and opportunities of FWG-LCIPP: the body, with half of its members from Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, has created an unprecedented space for the promotion and recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, cultural practices and governance systems, successfully ensured the coordination and communication with bodies under and outside the UNFCCC, and adopted a second 3-years work plan at the COP26.

A human rights-based solution is not only for the protection of our knowledge system and cultural values, and contributes to climate change resilience and biodiversity, but it is also the cheapest way of conservation in comparison to the investment by the State Parties on the protection of the national parks and conservation.

Ms. Pasang Dolma Sherpa, Executive Director of CIPRED, Nepal

In his presentation on “The Implementation of the Paris Agreement: Regional Overview of Asian Indigenous People” Mr. Kittisak Rattanakrajrangsri, Chairperson of AIPP, discussed how indigenous rights and knowledge are taken into account in Asia, in particular in the context of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and REDD+. The speaker opened his presentation by giving an overview of the general status of the Indigenous Peoples in 10 countries in Asia – Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. While all countries, except Bangladesh, have adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and UN Human Rights treaties, the legal recognition and implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights on the ground varies significantly, with some positive examples from the Philippines and Indonesia. The speaker identified common challenges for Indigenous Peoples across the region, in particular, ongoing social, political, cultural and economic discrimination and threats to traditional land, forests and waters. Indigenous communities are also disproportionately impacted by climate change.

Mr. Rattanakrajrangsri underlined the successful advocacy work of Indigenous Peoples in the context of the Paris Agreement and pointed out its most relevant articles for IPLC, as well as government-supported activities on the ground, most importantly, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), REDD+ and the National Adaptation Plans (NAP). Against this backdrop, he introduced a study conducted by AIPP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNPD) and the Forest People Program (FPP) on how the rights, roles and knowledge of IPs are addressed in national-level climate action plans and policies in 10 Asian countries. The analysis revealed that Indigenous Peoples are often invisible as rights holders, knowledge holders and agents of positive change. Mostly, policies fail to make specific reference to Indigenous Peoples, with a few positive exceptions, e.g. Cambodia, Nepal, and the Philippines. With regard to REDD+ policies and activities, the study shows that policies and plans consistently contain language and provisions for Indigenous Peoples and their rights, likely due to the requirements of the Cancun safeguards and other guidelines.

The study also identified concerns of Indigenous Peoples in relation to existing national climate change policy, in particular, the lack of recognition of customary land rights, with some policies even criminalizing traditional practices. Moreover, Indigenous Peoples, continue to lack of broad and effective participation in decision-making processes. The speaker concluded his presentation by stressing the vital contributions of Indigenous Peoples to climate change adaptation and mitigation, through the protection of forest and biodiversity, the maintenance of knowledge on adaptation to harsh climatic conditions, and the provision of examples for food system resilience, e.g. during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“From the study we also found that the climate change policy exclusively fails to address the land tenure insecurity caused by the lack of legal recognition of customary land rights and the related threats to traditional livelihoods faced by Indigenous Peoples. In several instances, the policies even contribute to the criminalization of traditional sustainable practices, by defining them as drivers of deforestation.”

Mr. Kittisak Rattanakrajangsri, Chairperson of AIPP

Ms. Dewi Sutejo, Vice National Coordinator of the Indonesia Community Mapping Network JKPP, and Member of the Regional Council of ICCA SEA, and Mr. Giovanni Reyes, President of the Philippine ICCA Consortium and Member of the Indigenous Peoples’ Advisory Group of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), gave a joint presentation on “Why Human Rights Based Approach Essential for Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework?”.

In the first part of the talk, Ms. Sutejo presented an overview of the work and dedication of the ICCA Consortium to promoting the recognition of Indigenous Communities Conserved Areas (ICCAS) and to scaling up a human rights-based approach in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly in light of the planned 30×30 initiative. The speaker showed that around half of all recorded agrarian conflicts in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2022 occurred in protected areas and conservations forests, many of them in customary areas in national parks. In this context, she stressed the lack of recognition of IPLC territories by governments in Southeast Asia, with only 8.7% of them being legally recognized across the region. To address these challenges, the rights-based approach of the ICCA Consortium in Southeast Asia focuses on three key areas: 1. the documentation of the land use of IPLC in order to secure rights over lands and resources, and to FPIC; 2. the sustenance of livelihoods, including the protection of IPLC natural resource management, food systems, and governing institutions, and 3. environmental protection, including the protection of IPLCs in the frontline of the defense of forests. Ms. Sujeto highlighted the lack of the recognition of ICCAs in Southeast Asia at the example of Indonesia where the Working Group ICCA has registered 104 spots of ICCA, but only 25 ICCA are legally recognized by the government.

“22 million hectares in Indonesia have been mapped by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, out of which 17 million are actually under IPs territory (…) From the total 17 million, (…) only like 2 million hectares have already been recognized by the government, so it’s still small portion, there is a lack recognition by the government of the Indigenous People and Local Communities’ area. So we still have long work and homework with the working group ICCA, to ensuring the documentation of ICCAs.”fining them as drivers of deforestation.”

Ms. Dewi Sutejo, Vice National Coordinator of the Indonesia Community Mapping Network JKPP, Indonesia

In the second part of the joint presentation, Mr. Reyes described how, in the documentation process, the rich traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples is translated into maps, which are then used by Indigenous Communities to enhance their positions in negotiations. To ensure the application of a rights -based approach, Mr. Reyes emphasized the need to strengthen the merging of indigenous knowledge with scientific methods. He described that an analysis of mapping findings in 10 ICCA Pilot sites in the Philippines by the World Resources Institute showed that these 10 sites are able to hold at least 10.5 million tons of carbon, an amount equivalent to the emissions of 7 million cars annually. Using this example, he stressed that the enormous contributions of Indigenous Peoples to climate change mitigation remain largely invisible and neglected. The speaker recommended, inter alia, that the post 2020 GBF negotiations need to address Indigenous Peoples’ rights to land and resources, including FPIC, consistent with internationally recognized human rights standards, and that strong accountability mechanisms and access to justice need to be established. Mr. Reyes concluded that there is no future for the world’s forest without Indigenous Peoples standing.

“Indigenous Peoples’ contribution in conserving 80% of the world’s biodiversity areas is unparalleled. Ensuring a rights-based approach will scale up mainstream forestry and will prevent the destruction of forests. Support for Indigenous Peoples means support for forests, disrespect for their rights, do it at your own peril.”

Mr. Giovanni Reyes, President of the Philippine ICCA Consortium

The remaining two presentations featured stories from the ground by Indigenous Women leaders from Thailand and the Philippines.

Ms. Nor-Aeri Thungmueangthong, Chief of the Pgaz K’Nyau community Huay E-Khang Village, Thailand, started her powerful presentation “Indigenous Women Leadership on Climate and Biodiversity Protection” by emphasizing the crucial role of Indigenous Women as knowledge holders and agents of change in biodiversity conservation and climate action. She described the women’s deep respect for the forest as the foundation of all life and as dwelling place of spiritual beings. Ms. Nor-Aeri depicted the customary land management of her community, which is based on traditional beliefs, knowledge and modern scientific approaches, such as community mapping. The community’s management system, which also includes protected areas, mirrors the deep relationship between humans, nature, and the supernatural. An example is the umbilical cord ceremony De Po Htoo in which the villagers tie a bamboo container with the umbilical cord of a newborn to a tree, symbolizing that the spirit of this person is living in this tree, which cannot be cut. Traditional knowledge, passed down between generations, has ensured the conservation and protection of the forest for the more than 500 years. Ms. Nor-Aeri shared how the Indigenous Women in Huay E-Khang have revived their Indigenous Women’s forest, a learning space and source of health and well-being, food and income for the women, even in time of crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic. She presented various community initiatives on forest conservation and maintenance, including forest monitoring, community mapping, fire management practices, and the creation of a community fund for forest protection.

The presenter pointed out that women as knowledge holders play a key role in combatting climate change, in particular, in terms of the conservation of native seeds, the majority of which are derived from rotational farming, a practice often criminalized as ecologically harmful. As owners of the seed, Indigenous Communities are able to retain independence from commercial seed suppliers and thus, food sovereignty. The speaker stressed that the recognition of land rights is essential to ensure the transmission of Indigenous Knowledge which is crucial to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

“Indigenous Women are playing a crucial role in protecting native seeds and (…) we need to pass this knowledge on to future generations. But this knowledge cannot be passed down or continued if there is no recognition of land rights. To recognize our rights to land is very crucial to continue our practices and to contribute to the climate change and the global framework of biodiversity, with women at the center of it.”

Ms. Nor-Aeri Thungmueangthong, Chief of Huay Ek Khang Village, Northern Thailand

Ms. Conchita Calzado, President of Kababaihang Dumagat Ng Sierra Madre (K-GAT), Philippines, introduced the work of K-GAT, a startup agricultural cooperative led by Dugamat women in the Philippines. K-Gat’s key aims, the protection of the environment and of indigenous culture, guide the project activities of the federation, e.g. for women, the production of vegetables, fruit crops and handicraft. Farming is done in a sustainable way, based on traditional practices and harvesting rules that ensure the long-term sustainability of natural resources.

The speaker highlighted challenges facing the Indigenous Women, in particular, the improper implementation of government policies, e.g. related to FPIC. In many parts of the country, environmentally destructive projects are prioritized by the government, such as dam construction, mining, or large-scale tourism projects. The Dugamat women have been actively engaging in dialogues with local officials, government agencies and private companies in order to push for their rights to ownership and possession of their ancestral domains. Even though the Indigenous Community has developed an Ancestral Domains Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSPP), it remains unrecognized by the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and local government units. Another key challenge for the Indigenous Women members of K-Gat is the indigenous political structure of their group. Although traditionally, women do not engage in governance and decision-making processes, the Dugamat women continue to assert their rights, and to make their voices heard.

“We believe that as Indigenous Peoples, we cannot be separated from our ancestral land and environment because it forms part of our identity. We cannot be called Indigenous Peoples if we are outside our indigenous land, and if we are far from our environment which we are born into. This is why we have this burning desire to protect our land, especially the forest.”

Ms. Conchita Calzado, President of Kababaihang Dumagat Ng Sierra Madre (K-GAT), Philippines

While each presenter offered unique insights into Indigenous Peoples’ actions and initiatives at different levels, some common messages emerged across the diversity of voices: All speakers stressed that Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, values, customary laws and governance systems fundamentally contribute to biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, their huge contributions, their customary land tenure and land rights remain inadequately recognized by governments at national and local levels. Although there is an increased presence and influence of IPLCs over global climate negotiations, with unprecedented space opening up for dialogues between governments and IPLCs, the latter continue to lack of broad and effective participation and equitable representation in the decision-making spaces of global environmental governance. Accordingly, it was echoed across the contributors that only a human-rights based approach to conservation, which fully recognizes and respects the knowledge and rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly their rights to land territories and resources, can enable the guardians of the world’s ecosystems to continue their customary governance and institutions which form the foundation of their sustainable resource management, and which offer solutions to the intertwined global biodiversity and climate crises.

For more information, please contact the following members of Environment Programme of AIPP:

• Lakpa Nuri Sherpa, Environment Programme Coordinator at nuri@aippnet.org
• Pirawan Wongnithisathaporn, Environment Programme Officer at pirawan@aippnet.org
• Prem Singh Tharu, Environment Programme Officer at prem@aippnet.org

Click here to download full article

(This article was originally posted by the ICCA Consortium)

KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA—Two hundred forty-seven representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities gathered in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, for the 2nd Asia Parks Congress, from 24-29 May 2022, endorsed the Api-Api Declaration. They represented communities and peoples from nine countries in Asia.

Read the full declaration here (PDF File).

The newly released Declaration calls for a moratorium against declaring any protected areas without the involvement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, without recognizing Indigenous governance and customary management systems, and without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

FPIC is a specific right of the Indigenous Peoples and is recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It allows them to give or withhold consent to a project that may affect them or their territories.

The Declaration is named after Api-Api, one of the Indigenous names for Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah state in Malaysia.

Representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities also called conservation groups and governments to commit to rights-based approaches as the standard in all existing and future conservation initiatives. They urged to recognize and support the leadership of grassroots communities in conservation initiatives, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

“All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life.”

In an unprecedented manner, human activity is directly linked to the destruction and rapid reduction of fauna and flora on Earth. We are now facing harsher climatic conditions that cause further destruction not just to the environment but also to human lives. Having upset the balance of the ecosystem, we now bear the sole responsibility of correcting the damages we have caused.

The women of Iponan Higaonon Organization (IHO), an indigenous organization in the Philippines, have taken it upon themselves to start with small yet significant steps towards correcting our negative impacts.

In 2012, Tropical Storm Sendong devastated Cagayan de Oro city. This has caused massive flooding and destruction of resources especially in Barangays Tumpagon, Pigsag-an, and Bayanga. Because of the calamity, many lives were lost, farms were destroyed, and livelihoods were affected. According to experts, Sendong was the strongest cyclone to ever hit the area. It was speculated that the destruction and denudation of forest areas have worsened the impacts of the disaster.

This has motivated the women of Iponan Higaonon Organization to mobilize themselves and protect the ancestral lands that they have been stewarding for generations. Aside from which, the women also understood the importance of passing on their culture and traditional way of life to the next generation.

Understanding the value of indigenous trees in preserving the balance of ecosystems, the women of IHO have decided to plant more species that are of greater benefit to their forest ecosystem. Through the help of NTFP-EP, they were able to restore the natural landscape of their ancestral lands. The project has given them security against the possible impending repeat of the devastating effects of a cyclone as strong as Sendong such as flooding and landslides.

Seeing the impact of the work they have done in their area, the group became more inspired than ever to become examples to other communities and its members to be more involved in the protection of their environment.

Today, understanding the positive effects of their efforts, the indigenous women of IHO felt empowered to continue their efforts in preserving their ancestral lands to protect them from the devastating effects of calamities. This can be seen in the active involvement of the women in protecting their ancestral lands.

Article by Michelle Dagsaan and Bae Mercy Wabe, Higaonon women from Iponan Higaonon Organization (IHO). The organization is a grantee of the Pastor Rice Small Grants Fund (PRSGF). For more information on access to the grant, click here.

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Over the weekend, civil society organizations from 8 ASEAN member states gathered to hone action plans toward advancing a people-centered social forestry in the region.

The 6th Civil Society Organizations Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN convened this year to share learnings from the ground and craft advocacy messages on governance mechanisms, forest tenure and access rights, community economy and livelihoods, and safeguards.

Over the years, credit has been given to social forestry’s significant contribution to the achievement of global targets for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as sustainable forest management. However, achievements achieved at the local, national, and regional levels are still met with critical bottlenecks. The 7th ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Conference has again opened a space to continue the ongoing dialogue and engagement with Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) as the central theme.

Among the many approaches, what promise does FLR hold for its stakeholders, most especially indigenous and local communities? “Are we pouring old wine into new bottles?” sad Mr. Patrick Durst, Senior Policy Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific as he presented the concepts and issues around FLR.

The approach is integrative as FLR will bring together various elements of landscape restoration. However, Mr. Durst remarked that FLR cannot succeed without the support and effective involvement of the people. “Far too often in the past, governments have often looked at people as source of cheap labor. If we want to make it work, we have to make it work for the people to gain income from these resources.”

The perspective provided by the CSO Forum in the plenary, through Ms. Mai Thin Yu Mon of the Chin Human Rights Organization in Myanmar resonated the very same sentiments: that only through inclusive processes can the success of achieving targets be ensured.

Find the statement of the CSO Forum below:

 

Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN Statement 7th ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-­‐SF) Conference 2017

Background

The CSO Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN was established in 2012, and is participated in by civil society organizations and community based organizations, indigenous peoples’ networks and membership organizations who are present in ASEAN and are implementing capacity building, awareness raising, and technical support programs on forest and NTFP livelihood and marketing, forest tenure and access rights, and traditional and indigenous knowledge systems on natural resources, and a few projects in REDD+. It is a platform to distil, consolidate and relay key messages from CSOs and communities to ASEAN member states through the ASEAN Working Group onSocialForestry (AWGSF).

This year’s 6th Annual Gathering of the CSO Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN, was participated by over 60 participants from 40 organizations, from more than 8 countries. Following the development of our CSO Forum vision last year at the 10th Annual Meeting and Policy Dialogue in Palawan, Philippines, and the setting of our goals and targets up to 2020 to contribute to the ASEAN cooperation on forestry, we are pleased to share our update with you.

Social forestry provides significant contribution to global targets for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and is one of the already proven mechanisms to achieve sustainable forest management. Indigenous peoples and local communities   are   already leading several restoration initiatives in forested landscapes. RECOFTC’s report on the status of social forestry in ASEAN noted that approximately 10M hectares has been allocated as of 2016 which is around 50%of the ASEAN countries’ social forestry target as of that year.

The target for other countries like Indonesia has since been increased which we see as a sign of an expanding commitment to social forestry. The increased target affirms trust in indigenous and local communities as vital stewards of ASEAN forests. We hope that other ASEAN countries may follow suit.

The engagement with the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) is ongoing with several marketing events to support community forest enterprises in the region. Relationship between CSOs and ASEAN member states made possible through the facilitation of the ASEAN Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC) has indeed improved and is making vital contribution.

There are key national and subnational developments and let me name a few:

In the Philippines, the Forest Management Bureau together with stakeholders is working towards the establishment of a National Working Group on Social Forestry and Climate Change and has initiated coordination with the Climate Change Commission for linking social forestry and National Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. It has also opened the door for policy development on non-­‐timber forest products. Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) has been strengthened with local governments undergoing FPIC for land use planning, biodiversity conservation activities under their REDD+ readiness and development partners are now requiring certificate of FPIC compliance as precondition for all projects. A Protected Area Management Board in Palawan province recognized the development and protection land use plans of an indigenous community within the protected area.

In Cambodia, FPIC is included in the draft Environmental Impact Assessment law. The carbon credits from REDD+ project was sold and most of the revenues are used to support forest protection and community development through a benefit sharing mechanism   Also, the Cambodian King affirms a national climate change response and the need of a common ASEAN Strategy for working on deforestation and non-­timber forest products.

In Indonesia, social forestry is part of the Nationally Determine Contribution (NDC) of the country. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) has released new regulation number 83 in 2016 to streamline the process for community forestry application. This regulation is a giant leap to accelerate the expansion of Social Forestry in Indonesia, which has targeted 12.7 million hectares. Government responded to revision of regulations and policies in SF in provincial level. Nine indigenous communities in Indonesia received customary titles to manage their customary forests. 

In Laos, Initial advocacy efforts yield the inclusion of communal/collective land titling within the draft revision of the land law. In terms of forest governance, the government is interested in the FLEGT-­‐VPA process.

In Malaysia, a process of formulating a 10-­‐year consolidated policy for the 3 states – Sabah, Saraak and Peninsular Malaysia within a national framework for social forestry in consultation with communities, CSOs, private sector, among others is being facilitated. In Sabah, the Sabah Social Forestry Working Group has been established. This working group consists of forestry department, indigenous peoples’ organizations and civil society organizations.

In Myanmar, FPIC is included in the National Environmental Impact Assessment stakeholder engagement guidelines and Environmental Policy Framework; There is an ongoing national land use formulation and forest law review;

In Thailand, the government targets to increase forest cover throughout the country by 40% within 10 years from 2014 – 2023. A co-­‐management scheme for natural resource management is ongoing and needs to be promoted.

In Vietnam, the terms Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minority Group has appeared for the first time in the National REDD+ Action Plan toward 2030 (Decision No.419/QD-­‐TTG dated 5th April 2017 by Prime Minister). Other issues, such as environmental -­‐ social safeguards, gender, the full and effective participation of Ethnic Minority Groups and local communities have also been addressed in article 1 -­‐ Government Perspective of this document.

In the continuing spirit of an ongoing dialogue and engagement to improve upon the critical bottlenecks in social forestry, here are the important aspects where the ASEAN and the ASEAN Member States may offer support:

There is still an absence or weak recognition of tenure of indigenous peoples and local communities conserved areas and territories and their associated traditional knowledge, making forest dependent communities more vulnerable to conflicts due to public and private development projects.

Institutional cooperation and coordination among government bodies implementing and providing support for social forestry activities remain weak, and in most countries unclear.

Despite documented evidence that shifting cultivation in certain conditions is a sustainable forest land management practice, it is yet to be recognized as such in most countries.

The inclusion of FPIC and the increase role of communities in various policies will take time to implement and there is limited capacity for government and other stakeholders to apply these policies. In some countries, there are strong safeguards at the local level but not connected and supported at the national level.

Recommendations

In line with ASEAN Cooperation on Forestry, Key Performance Indicators on Food Agriculture and Forestry, the Strategic Plan of Action of the AWGSF, and the affirmed CSO Forum on Social Forestry Vision and Thematic Goals, Adopted Strategies and Mechanisms from Puerto Princesa, Philippines in 2016, the CSO Forum would like to reiterate the following points that we find fundamental in setting the context of forest landscape restoration in ASEAN under these 4 key themes:

For Forest Tenure and Access Rights

• Support the establishment of co-­‐management areas, indigenous peoples and local communities’ conserved areas and territories, and other proven management and governance arrangements in forested landscapes;
• Establish and strengthen a platform in ASEAN/AWG-­‐SF on sustained dialogue on rights and access of indigenous peoples and local communities;
• Ensure that indigenous peoples and local communities’ customary tenure rights and access to their forest and farmland including shifting cultivation areas are secured;
• Strictly monitor development instruments to ensure that they all respect existing laws; and
• Provide financial and technical support to indigenous peoples. local communities, and forest and farm producers through operationalizing the ASEAN Social Forestry Trust Fund.

 On Safeguards

• Ensure that any forest landscape restoration and management initiative, plans and programs secure FPIC of indigenous peoples under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as a minimum ASEAN member states must continue to develop national guidelines on FPIC with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples.
• Develop and implement national policies that take into account the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT) and REDD+ Cancun safeguards.
• Ensure the security of communities, CSOs and advocates.
• Ensure that an accessible and effective community grievance mechanism is put in place in ASEAN member states.

On Governance Mechanisms

• Laws that provide for land tenure and resource access, and recognize traditional knowledge and self-­‐governance must be created and/or implemented
• Ensure that processes for securing communal land titles are faster, streamlined, and more efficient.

On Community Economy and Livelihoods

• Offer support in creating and strengthening an enabling policy environment and mechanism/s for community forestry enterprises including but not limited to tax exemption for NTFP trade of indigenous peoples and local communities, and assist MSMEs to meet national/regional product standards or requirements, enhance value addition, increase bargaining power and achieve economies of

 

We affirm and assert that the self-­identified and selected members of the CSO Forum, will continue to be open to collaboration and innovative work with governments and other stakeholders, to advance social forestry as an effective mechanism and catalyst, to achieve climate change mitigation and adaptation and forest landscape restoration goals and targets in ASEAN.

 

---

Earl Diaz, NTFP-EP Asia

The Cambodia NTFP Working Group (CNWG) in cooperation with the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme of South and Southeast Asia (NTFP-EP) have been, since 2007, building a knowledge and partnership base for the development of sustainable management and marketing of dipterocarp resins in Cambodia.

A documentary film on a workshop in Daan Aporawan, Palawan on traditional sustainable methods of harvesting the Philippine “big 3 NTFPs” – rattan, honey, almaciga.  45 minutes. English with English subtitles for interviews in local dialects. Now also dubbed in Khmer.  Please contact us for details to get your own copy.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

This summarizes the findings and recommendations of a study on Clarifying Carbon Rights as part of a series of policy studies undertaken in the Philippines under the project “Climate-relevant Modernization of Forest Policy and Piloting of REDD in the Philippines” funded under the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) through the ASEAN Social Forestry Network supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

DOWNLOAD PDF

Manila, PHILIPPINES – More than a hundred indigenous peoples, coming from different tribes from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, have gathered last October 13 at the National Museum in Manila in the first ever national Indigenous Peoples Cultural Summit.

The summit, organized by Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, was the culminating event of the three regional assemblies that brought to light the different concerns that various indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) in the three major regions of the Philippines would want the government to address.

The regional assemblies brought out the common concerns of the indigenous peoples’ rights to ancestral lands and domains, self-determination, governance, human rights and social justice.

A presentation on the Convention No. 169 of the International Labor organization vis-à-vis the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) was given, as well as the flagship projects for indigenous peoples by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

Convention No.169 is a legally binding international instrument open to ratification, which deals specifically with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. The Philippines has not ratified Convention No. 169 and there were once again calls from the summit participants for the Philippine government to ratify said convention.

Dr. Bernd Liss of GIZ and Forester Marlea Muñez of CoDe REDD shared REDD Plus initiatives in the Philippines, with particular focus on its implications to IPs. This includes improved environmental services, income and livelihood, carbon credits, security of tenure, stabilization of rural areas and rural development.