Search

The idea of every human being’s ’right to food’ is nothing new these days, however, looking specifically at this idea in relation to Indigenous Peoples is an exciting and important movement that is gaining steam fast, and rightfully so. International conferences, under the title Indigenous Terra Madre, have been held across the globe first in Sweden in 2011 and then India to explore topics related to Indigenous food sovereignty and better spread the vast agricultural knowledge that has been passed down through Indigenous communities for generations.

Suzanne Benally is a leader in Indigenous Rights advocacy, and serves as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival. She shares her thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing Native American communities and Indigenous Peoples in general in the context of the Trump administration. Interview by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan), Indigenous Rights Radio producer based in South Africa.

Websites:

Indigenous solidarity has coalesced into a powerful movement thanks to the activism and perseverance of Indigenous leaders from communities around the world. Indigenous leaders that are defending land, language, culture, and the environment face acute persecution, both from governments directly and from extrajudicial actors.

La soberanía de la Nación Sioux está amenazada por el Gobierno de EE.UU. y los intereses corporativos mientras el proyecto del Dakota Access Pipeline sigue avanzando. Rossy González (Maya Kakchiquel), productora de Radio de Derechos Indígenas, revisa la situación política de Standing Rock y su contexto histórico con unas activistas prominentes, y ofrece sugerencias sobre cómo las personas pueden apoyar a la Nación Sioux en su trabajo para detener la construcción del oleoducto.

In linking conservation efforts to the economic goal of using biological resources sustainably, the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) sets out three main objectives: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. How do Indigenous Peoples' rights tie into the Convention on Biodiversity?

Kandi “EagleWoman” White (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) is a leading voice in the fight to bring visibility to the impacts that climate change and environmental injustice are having on Indigenous communities across North America. Kandi began her work with the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) as the Tribal Campus Climate Challenge Coordinator, engaging with more than 30 Tribal colleges to instate community based environmental programs and connect Indigenous youth with green jobs.

Indigenous Peoples are not just stakeholders; Indigenous Peoples are rights holders. Cultural Survival reiterates the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ access to direct participation at the same negotiation tables as nation states at the UNFCCC COP27, with the right to have a voice and vote, and the inclusion of references to human and Indigenous Peoples’ rights in all documents.
Cultural Survival spoke to Andrea Carmen of the International Indian Treaty Council about Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Andrea Carmen (Yaqui)

The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, the official caucus for Indigenous Peoples participating in the UNFCCC processes, which held its preparatory meeting on 5th and 6th November prior to UNFCCC COP27 and had a discussion on a range of issues relating to climate change to come into agreement specifically on what Indigenous Peoples will be negotiating for, in specific UNFCCC processes.

Human beings have rights, but what about the rights of nature? Great Grand Mother Mary talks to us about the rights of nature. Cultural Survival attended COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee:Great GrandMother Mary (Anishinaabe)
Music: "LIBRES Y VIVAS by MARE ADVETENCIA, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.

In this radio interview, Cultural Survival talks to the former co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. They discuss the history of COP.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Interviewee: Pasang Dolma-Sherpa (Sherpa)
Music: "LIBRES Y VIVAS by MARE ADVETENCIA, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.

In this radio program, former Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya discusses the importance of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, as a process to combat climate change.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Interviewee: James Anaya  (Apache and Purépecha)
Music: "LIBRES Y VIVAS by MARE ADVETENCIA, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.

In this radio program, Cultural Survival speaks to Mrinalini Rai. Mrinalini Rai tells us how policies and climate processes should take Indigenous Peoples' rights into account.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Interviewee: Mrinalina Rai (Rai)
Music: "LIBRES Y VIVAS by MARE ADVETENCIA, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.

In this radio program, Cultural Survival speaks to Kenneth Deer. He talks about the importance of Traditional Knowledge.
Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Interviewee: Kenneth Deer (Mohawk)
Music: "LIBRES Y VIVAS by MARE ADVETENCIA, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.

Indigenous Peoples play a crucial role in the conservation of the environment and ecosystems, as their survival very much depends on water, land, and natural resources. Indigenous Peoples are often called the custodians or stewards of the Earth. It is estimated that 25 percent of the earth's land surface is occupied, owned, and managed by Indigenous Peoples. This is no coincidence as Indigenous cultures are rooted in relationships with lands and territories.

Producer: Dev Kumar Sunuwar

Cultural Survival covers Indigenous Issues worldwide. As part of this work, our team joined the international negotiations of the 12th session of the Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) relating traditional knowledge, innovation and practices of Indigenous Peoples under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on November 12-16, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. We spoke to many Indigenous leaders to communicate their priorities to our wider Indigenous audience.

In the three decades since the Rio Summit and the launch of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP) has convened member countries every year to determine ambition and responsibilities, and identify and assess climate measures. The 21st session of the COP (COP21) led to the Paris Agreement, which mobilized global collective action to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, and to act to adapt to the already existing effects of climate change.

Indigenous Peoples  have knowledge and values oriented towards nature and amassed through generations. Indigenous peoples steward over 80% of the planet’s remaining biodiversity.
In their main decision adopted at the end of COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, governments recognized “the important role of civil society, including youth and indigenous peoples, in addressing and responding to climate change, and highlighting the urgent need for action”.
Cultural Survival attended COP28 in Dubai, and spoke to some of the delegates who attended.