AUGUST 26, 2024, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA. – Today was inaugurated the TRɄA World Summit on Traditional Knowledge related to Biodiversity, a high level meeting that brings together more than 150 State representatives and Indigenous Peoples from the 7 socio-cultural regions of the world, in order to establish an informal dialogue in preparation for the Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16).
Most of the planet’s biodiversity is found in indigenous lands, waters and territories, thanks to the management and sustainable use of landscapes that Indigenous Peoples and local communities have developed over generations. For this reason it is of utmost importance to recognize the rights and contributions of traditional knowledge to biodiversity conservation and the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Traditional knowledge is the basis of cosmovision, territorial management and harmonious coexistence between mother nature, human beings and the universe.
The event, co-organized by the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), the Mesa Permanente de Concertación con los Pueblos y Organizaciones Indígenas (MPC), the International Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network (IWBN) and the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, was inaugurated by Minister Susana Muhamad González, who participated in the opening ceremony of the event.
Also present were representatives of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both partner organizations in the development of the TRɄA World Summit on Traditional Knowledge related to Biodiversity.
About the TRɄA
TRɄA means territory for the Emberá. Territory is the harmonious and balanced connection with Mother Nature from which Indigenous Peoples build and weave their cultural identities, knowledge, wisdom and practices. At this summit, all voices unite as one, for the TRɄA, towards COP16.
“At COP16, it is going to be decided the the adoption of the New Programe of Work for indigenous peoples and local communities for the next 10 years, which would imply an agreement, if we reach that agreement at COP16, on how governments are going to support the work of indigenous peoples, their bonds to territories, their rights, precisely so that they can be fundamental actors in the conservation of biological diversity. They have two aspirations: to have a permanent subsidiary body in the convention, that is, to be a permanently recognized body, which will give them more political capacity to influence and to have direct access to international resources for this work plan”, said Minister Muhamad.
In this framework, the objective of the TRɄA World Summit is to increase the visibility of traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity and the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to biodiversity conservation and climate action, in order to achieve the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the Paris Agreement. The main topic of the dialoguewill be the new Program of Work on Article 8(j) and its institutional arrangements to find solutions on these issues in the lead up to the COP and the linkages between biodiversity and climate change.
“Indigenous Peoples request the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to recognize the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, for which it is important that the new Program of Work on Article 8j is approved and that full and effective participation is guaranteed by establishing a Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8j. These positive actions will be a step forward to strengthening the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said IIFB Co-Chair and Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ramiro Batzin.
During the meeting, Orlando Rayo, senior advisor of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Colombia (ONIC), stressed that “the TRɄA World Summit on Traditional Knowledge highlights the contribution of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems for the care of life, territories, peace and humanity. Biodiversity and climate change are central issues for the future of humanity that will be addressed during the summit”.
In this framework, over the next 4 days, attendees of the summit will attend thematic panels and working group sessions. Amongst participants are representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities from Africa, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, the Arctic, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia and the Pacific, as well as representatives of the governments of Canada, Australia, Finland, Costa Rica, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji and Colombia, as well as representatives of organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
This Summit is possible thansk to the financial support of the Government of Germany, through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, and the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit); the Government of Sweden and Swedbio (Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University); Nia Tero ; Campaign for Nature; Bloomberg Philanthropies; and Oregon State University. Some of them are participating in the event.
Access the TRɄA World Summit Executive Report:
English version. Access here.
Spanish version. Access here.