#ip&lc

[mater-earth]

INDIGENOUS-LED FUNDING MECHANISMS

(1) Shandia direct financing platform. The Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC) has set up Shandia, a global platform to enable indigenous peoples and local communities to access territorial financing under the Shandia Vision.

Added Value: Shandia has been established directly by the five organizations within GATC in LatAm, Indonesia and Africa, without any intermediaries, providing clear ownership.

Goal: Support tenure rights, enhance territory management, promote community-based economies, combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and reverse the degradation of nature.

Established by: The five organizations that make up the GATC are the Indonesian Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipielago (AMAN); the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB); the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB); the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA);  and the Network of Indigenous and Local Populations for the Sustainable Management of Central African Forest Ecosystems (REPALEAC).

(2) The Mesoamerican Territorial Fund (FTM) is a financial mechanism for the promotion of governance and territorial development in the forested regions of Mesoamerica.

Goal: Promote inclusive economic growth and improving the commercial insertion of small businesses in international markets, based on the sustainable management of natural resources in the main forested regions of Mesoamerica. 

Established by : The Central American Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), one of the five organizations that make up the GATC.

(3) The Nusantara Fund is a Trust Fund designed to aid indigenous peoples and local communities in Indonesia with the protection and management of their lands, territories, and resources. More info

Goal: Reduce emissions related to deforestation and forest degradation, increase carbon stocks, and enhance local economies. The mechanism also seeks to prevent socio-environmental investment regulations from undermining the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities by providing assistance in protecting their territories.

Established by the Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), which is the national organisation of indigenous peoples in Indonesia and a member of the GATC, along with Konsorsium Pembaruan Angraria (KPA) the national network of peasants, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples and NGOs, as well as and Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (WALHI), the largest environmental movement in Indonesia.

(4) The Indigenous Amazonian Fund is under establishment by COICA as a regional operational arm of Shandia, and as the financing mechanism for the 9 countries of COICA’s membership.

Goal: Enable Amazonian organizations to defend their territorial rights and life plans by accessing financial resources tailored to their specific conditions. It also seeks to establish a mechanism for linking with existing financial architecture to maintain the environmental, cultural, and social values provided by Amazonian ecosystems.

(5) Podáali Fund will serve as a model and inspiration for other COICA members and serve as the Brazilian Branch of the regional funding mechanism. More Info

Established by the regional network of indigenous organisations from the Brazilian Amazon region (Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira – COIAB), result of a decade-long construction process.

Goal: The focus areas of Podaali are aligned with the guidelines and priorities of the organisation, the national policy for indigenous territories and the Sustainable Development Goals.

(6) The AYNI Fund - is the first and only fund established solely for indigenous women. The AYNI Fund has supported over 100 projects led by indigenous women from various regions worldwide, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and the Arctic, with more than 4,000 requests for assistance received.

Established by: created and managed by the International Forum of Indigenous Women (FIMI),

Goal: This initiative promotes intercultural philanthropy by supporting indigenous women who co-invest their spiritual, cultural, human, financial, and material resources in projects.

(7) The Pawanka Fund is an indigenous-led endowment fund established and managed by indigenous peoples to support community-led organizations in seven sociocultural regions worldwide. These regions include North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Arctic, Pacific, and Russia. The Fund's Guiding Committee works closely with local indigenous organizations and has supported 257 projects ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 USD since 2014. The Pawanka Fund follows principles of solidarity, reciprocity, complementarity, and promotes a holistic approach, intercultural and gender relations while respecting self-determination and free prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples. The fund utilizes the "Cultural Due Diligence" method, comprising of eight criteria, to guide the endorsement, selection, mentoring, monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. More info

(8) The Indigenous Peoples of Asia Solidarity Fund (the IPAS Fund) is a forthcoming endowment fund that will be controlled and operated by indigenous peoples' organizations and networks in Asia. The decision to establish the fund was made at a regional workshop in July 2022, and a working group is finalizing the foundational documents. The ultimate objective is to establish a self-sustaining endowment fund that can provide recurring funding to indigenous peoples' organizations throughout Asia.

[mater-earth]

Directing Funds to Rights - Charapa Consult (Report)

A commitment of 1.7 billion USD was made by a group of donors at COP 26 to aid indigenous peoples and local communities in tropical and subtropical forests. However, a year has passed, and these communities are still waiting for meaningful action to secure their tenure rights and safeguard their forests amidst the threat of climate change.

During recent months, over 200 indigenous peoples' organizations and networks from forested regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have come together to devise recommendations for the appropriate allocation of funds, prioritizing their rights as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Peoples' funding is typically provided in the form of small-scale, short-term grants channeled through intermediaries, which fails to sufficiently support their long-term aspirations for self-determined development.

In May of 2022, the Ford Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (via the Climate and Land Use Alliance - CLUA) and the Christensen Fund commissioned Charapa Consult to conduct a comprehensive and inclusive evaluation of principles, standards, and mechanisms to effectively support Indigenous Peoples' tenure rights and forest stewardship.

Read the full report here: https://charapa.dk/directing-funds-to-rights/

Indigenous peoples have put forward several key conclusions and recommendations regarding climate finance. These include:

Indigenous peoples must be considered partners and not beneficiaries.

The need for a holistic approach that addresses their priorities and aspirations for self-determined development across all ecosystems and takes into account the diversity of country contexts.

Funding must be rights-based, following the UNDRIP and including consultation, participation in decision-making, and consent by indigenous peoples' representative institutions.

Direct funding to indigenous peoples' organizations or funding mechanisms is preferred, and decision-making power must remain with indigenous peoples even if intermediaries are necessary.

The funding should be long-term, predictable, and aligned with indigenous peoples' priorities and aspirations, with different types of grants to cater for increasing capacities and a need for flexibilization, simplification, and harmonization of requirements.

Capacity-building and mentoring should accompany the funding

Special considerations and measures should ensure inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Indigenous peoples have agreed on recommendations to improve dialogue, transparency, and accountability in relation to the Pledge.

• Aligning funding commitments with the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples' rights,

• Establishing a continuous dialogue mechanism between indigenous peoples and Pledge donors,

• Disclosing information about contributions and allocations under the Pledge,

• Creating a monitoring mechanism with the direct participation of indigenous peoples,

• Organizing mutual capacity-building of donors and indigenous leaders, and

• Supporting a global platform for exchange among indigenous peoples with the necessary resources to conduct consultations and outreach at different levels.

[mater-earth]

Report: Building Bridges

To achieve global climate and biodiversity goals, it is crucial to acknowledge and assist Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples as crucial figures and leaders in the fight against climate change and the preservation of the Earth's natural diversity. These groups have been the custodians of their lands, territories, and resources for a long time, spanning around 50% of the world's land area.

Building Bridges - Rights + Resources

Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples must be recognized and supported as key actors and leaders in combatting

Full Report: Building Briges. Innovations and Approaches to Increase Financing to Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples and Local Communities for Climate and Conservation Goals

https://doi.org/10.53892/YPXI4263

Author: Rights and Resources Initiative

Date: December 5, 2022

[mater-earth]

Realizing the Pledge - Rainforest Foundation US

In November 2021, several public and private funders united under a $1.7 billion IPLC Forest Tenure pledge during COP26 in Glasgow, marking

Report: Realizing the Pledge, HOW INCREASED FUNDING FOR FOREST COMMUNITIES CAN TRANSFORM GLOBAL CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY EFFORTS

Rainforest Foundations of the UK, US, and Norway provide a briefing for climate funders and policy makers on how to achieve the US$1.7 billion pledge for Indigenous Peoples and local communities' land and resource rights.

They emphasize the importance of partnership, program ownership, long-term commitment, flexibility, and multiplicity of actions and solutions.

To achieve these goals, they suggest building long-term relationships with the right organizations, conducting needs assessments, developing organizational plans, building through action, collaborating closely, and cascading.

The following priorities must be addressed: securing tenure and management rights, supporting sustainable management, improving community governance and organization, creating enabling conditions, prioritizing IPLCs, addressing climate and IPLC threats, and strengthening civil society.

Read full report (June 2022) : https://rainforestfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Realising_the_Pledge_final.pdf

[mater-earth]

Significant gap in funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in tropical countries (Report: Falling Short)

A report by Rainforest Foundation Norway, highlights a significant gap in funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in tropical countries, who play a crucial role in forest management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The fact that only $270 million per year on average has been allocated to IPLCs tenure and forest management over the last ten years is concerning, especially considering that this is less than one percent of international climate funding. Furthermore, it is only a fraction of what is required for transformational tenure reform in just 24 tropical countries.

It is also worrying that only a small proportion of the funding for IPLC tenure and forest management is likely to reach the Indigenous Peoples organizations and local communities themselves, as most of the funding flows through large intermediaries or is part of larger programs. This can make it difficult for IPLCs to access the funding and support they need to manage their forests effectively and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Overall, this study highlights the urgent need for greater funding and support for IPLCs in tropical countries, as they play a critical role in protecting forests and mitigating the effects of climate change. It is essential that IPLCs have access to the funding they need to manage their forests effectively, and that they are able to participate fully in decision-making processes that affect their communities and their environment.

Read full report: Falling Short. Donor funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to secure tenure rights and manage forests in tropical countries (2011–2020)

Indigenous people receive little climate funding

Despite its proven efficiency in protecting rainforests, Indigenous Peoples and local communities only receive a small share of funding for

Research for this paper conducted by Jeffrey Hatcher, Michael Owen, and Daphne Yin (Indufor North America). The following people provided valuable insights and comments for this paper: David Kaimowitz (FAO), Kevin Currey (Ford Foundation), Andy White (Rights and Resources Initiative), Hege Ragnhildstveit (NICFI). Responsible in Rainforest Foundation Norway: Torbjørn Gjefsen

[mater-earth]

(Policy Focus) Forest carbon in Amazonia: the unrecognized contribution of indigenous territories and protected natural areas

Carbon sequestration is a widely acknowledged and increasingly valued function of tropical forest ecosystems; however, until recently, the information needed to assess the carbon storage capacity of Amazonian indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs) in a global context remained either lacking or out of reach.

Here, as part of a north–south collaboration among Amazonian indigenous and non-governmental organization (NGO) networks, scientists and policy experts show that the nine-nation network of nearly 3000 ITs and PNAs stores more carbon above ground than all of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia combined, and, despite the ostensibly secure status of these cornerstones of Amazon conservation, a conservative risk assessment considering only ongoing and planned development projects puts nearly 20% of this carbon at risk, encompassing an area of tropical forest larger than that found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru combined.

International recognition of and renewed investment in these globally vital landscapes are therefore critical to ensuring their continued contribution to maintaining cultural identity, ecosystem integrity and climate stability

Read full paper (Date: 2014)

© 2014 Walker, Baccini et al. Published by Taylor & Francis.

Authors: Wayne Walker, Alessandro Baccini1, Stephan Schwartzman, Sandra Ríos, María A. Oliveira-Miranda, Cicero Augusto, Milton Romero Ruiz, Carla Soria Arrasco, Beto Ricardo, Richard Smith, Chris Meyer, Juan Carlos Jintiach & Edwin Vasquez Campos