16 February 2026 – Rome, Italy
“Madam Chair,
The IIFB submitted its statement early but we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some main points.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities have made immense contributions to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, yet these contributions have not been correctly valued. The financial mechanism must enable this valuation and take steps towards ensuring direct access to finance by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Funds created by Indigenous Peoples and local communities themselves have already demonstrated in practice that it is possible to manage resources with responsibility, transparency and autonomy.
These funds should be considered in the architecture of the financial mechanism, in addition to the need for simplifying access and administrative requirements. The financial mechanism must establish an inclusive governance mechanism, which includes Indigenous Peoples and local communities in its decision making.
Our experience in implementing projects supported by the financial mechanism is valuable, so voices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be heard in the process of assessing funding needs for the 10th GEF replenishment and the quadrennial review.
Finally, we would like to thank the Parties that have supported our statements and proposals and look forward to further engaging on the different items in this meeting.
Thank you”.
The full version of the IIFB Statement is available at: EN_IIFB_SBI6_ITEM#3b_15FEB26