Statement of International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change Statement (IIPFCC) High Level Segment 22nd Nov.

2013, Warsaw, Poland Thank you Mr. Chair, for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC). We would like to reiterate that indigenous peoples have been conserving and sustainably managing our forests for generations. Indigenous peoples natural resources management practices and conservation have contributed both to adaptation and mitigation of climate change. In this context, the IIPFCC would like to highlight some of our recommendations made during this negociation: An overarching human rights based approach and the free prior informed consent must be integrated into the climate change regime, recognizing the value of indigenous cosmo-vision and knowledge, technologies, practices, customary institutions and governance. We therefore call for urgent action that takes into account and respects the rights of our peoples as well as our indigenous knowledge, throughout the climate change processes, prioritizing adaptation activities within indigenous peoples territories. The outcome document of the Durban platform must operationalize the Cancun Agreement which explicitly recognizes that UNFCCC Parties have human rights obligations, and that they should fully respect human rights in all climate changerelated decisions including the rights of indigenous peoples. It should guarantee full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in all processes, programs and actions at all levels, including inter alia access to funding mechanisms, financing, MRV and guaranteed and enforceable safeguards and all other evolving climate change-related mechanisms. In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, we, the Indigenous Peoples, who are always on the frontlines of these severe impacts of climate change, urgently call for a more permanent arrangement in addressing the Loss and Damage issue. While we acknowledge the generous humanitarian support of some developed countries for the countries that suffered most from such adverse impacts of climate change, we strongly support the proposal for a more permanent institution with clear functions, modalities and financial resources. we have consistently called for the establishment of such mechanisms, which should allow the inclusion of our voices, solutions and knowledge in climate change decision-making at all levels. We

can further contribute to the establishment of this proposed mechanism; and in the improvement of already existing mechanisms with the full and effective participation for indigenous peoples. The setting up of an Indigenous Peoples Expert body, which would act as a technical advisory body and a consultative resource that contributes to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all UNFCCC subsidiary bodies, activities, mechanisms and programmes. This will include existing UN Indigenous mechanisms such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (SRIP). A technical support unit for Indigenous Peoples issues and an indigenous focal point in the UNFCCC Secretariat should be established under the Adaptation, Technology Transfer, Capacity Building and Science Programmes. The UNFCCC should facilitate a dedicated fund mechanism for indigenous peoples' organizations participation in climate policy-making processes and should support our mitigation and adaptation activities at ground level.

As you all are aware, indigenous peoples have raised serious concerns about the ambiguity of the drivers text adopted by SBSTA, and insist that indigenous peoples livelihoods are not drivers of deforestation. Rather, our traditional livelihoods and management practices provide a significant and effective contribution to forest conservation and sustainable management. The third preambular paragraph in this decision should not be interpreted to imply that traditional livelihoods of indigenous peoples based on natural resources are drivers of deforestation. Livelihoods of indigenous peoples should not be negatively affected when addressing the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. Human-rights criteria and indicators should be developed and given due consideration when assessing results of REDD-plus activities and accessing resultsbased payments. These indicators should include the recognition of, and respect for, rights to our land, territories and resources, indigenous knowledge, customary laws and governance, traditional livelihoods, and our forest management practices. All results-based payments must be conditioned upon the robust implementation of, and strict compliance with, rigorous safeguards that should be effectively reported and verified including through community based participatory monitoring and information system. Any further consideration of forest and land use related matters within the ADP must be based on a robust human rights based approach in compliance with international human rights standards such as UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).