Indigenous Rights

Civil Society Launch a Campaign Against Extractive Industry Exploitation and Land Grabs

By Isaiah Esipisu
Over 800 households in Ikolomani Constituency in Kakamega County, Western Kenya, fear eviction to pave the way for a British firm, Shanta Gold Limited, to begin extracting gold valued at Sh683 billion ($5.29 billion) on an estimated 337 acres of residential and agricultural land.

From Pledges to Proof: UN Biodiversity Meeting Begins First Global Review of Nature Action

By Stella Paul
Governments convened in Rome on Monday (February 16) for a critical round of UN biodiversity negotiations, launching the world’s first global review of how countries are acting to protect nature.

A Business Necessity: Align With Nature or Risk Collapse, IPBES Report Warns

By Busani Bafana
Business can still remain profitable while protecting the environment but invest in nature-positive operations, says a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which finds that global companies have contributed to the escalating loss of biodiversity.

When Protection Meets the Sea: Rethinking Marine Protected Areas with Fishing Communities

By Aishwarya Bajpai
Melanie Brown has been fishing salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, for more than 30 years. An Indigenous fisherwoman and a coordinating committee member of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, she speaks about the sea with deep care and lived knowledge.

Binalakshmi Nepram: Engineering Peace, Creating History

By Kumkum Chadha
It was Christmas eve: some two decades ago. Binalakshmi Nepram was a witness to the killing of a 27-year-old. In utter disbelief, she saw a group of three men dragging the victim from his workshop. Within minutes, he was shot dead.

My Niece Was Killed Amid Mexico’s Land Conflicts. The World Must Hold Corporations Accountable

By Claudia Ignacio Álvarez
My niece Roxana Valentín Cárdenas was 21 years old when she was killed. She was a Purépecha Indigenous woman from San Andrés Tziróndaro, a community on the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacán.

Thousands Gather in Nairobi as Science Meets Diplomacy for Planet Protection

By Joyce Chimbi
“There will never be a better time than now to invest in a stable climate, thriving ecosystems, and resilient lands, or in sustainable development that delivers for all,” said Amina J. Mohammed, the deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, during the opening plenary of the seventh meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) taking place from December 8 to 12, 2025.

Climate Crisis Disrupts Sundarbans Community Festival, Prosperity

By Rafiqul Islam Montu
A dried karam tree branch stands on the bank of a pond in a field in Datinakhali village adjacent to the Sundarbans. Despite many efforts, the tree could not be saved.

COP30: Broken Promises, New Hope — A Call to Turn Words into Action

By James Alix Michel
When the world gathered in Glasgow for COP26, the mantra was “building back better.” Two years later, in Sharm El Sheikh, COP27 promised “implementation.” This year, in Belém, Brazil, COP30 arrived with a heavier burden: to finally bridge the chasm between lofty rhetoric and the urgent, measurable steps needed to keep 1.5 °C alive.

Bonn to Belém: Three Decades of Promises, Half-Delivered Justice, and Rights-Based Governance Is Now Inevitable

By M. Zakir Hossain Khan
COP30 in Belém is not just another annual climate meeting; it is the 32-year report card of the world governance architecture that was conceived at the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. And that is what report card says: delivery has been sporadic, cosmetic and perilously disconnected with the physics of climatic breakdown.

If COP30 Fails, It Won’t Be North vs. South, but Power vs People

By Ginger Cassady
Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon River, was always going to be a symbolic host for the UN COP30 climate summit, but the mood here has gone far beyond symbolism.

‘No Land Rights, No Climate Justice,’ Say Activists at Peoples’ Summit

By Tanka Dhakal
Brazilian Indigenous leader and environmentalist Cacique Raoni Metuktire appealed for support for Indigenous peoples and their land. From the podium of the Peoples’ Summit, Cacique Raoni warned negotiators at the UN climate conference in Belém that without recognizing Indigenous peoples’ land rights, there will be no climate justice.

You Cannot Make Decisions About Our Lives—A Perspective on Global Climate Change Negotiations

By Annabel Prokopy
Immaculata Casimero, a leader of the Wapichan Women’s Movement, remembers the beauty of the mountains that are cultural sites to her indigenous community in Guyana.

Demonstrators Face-Off With Security as COP30 Activism Intensifies

By Joyce Chimbi
In a departure from the past three COPs, in Egypt, Dubai and Azerbaijan, there have been increasingly intense demonstrations from activists at the COP30 venue in Belém, the capital of the northern Brazilian state of Pará.

COP30’s Crossroads: To Accelerate Implementation or Make More Promises?

By Joyce Chimbi
“Devastating climate damages are happening already, from Hurricane Melissa hitting the Caribbean, Super Typhoons smashing Vietnam and the Philippines to a tornado ripping through Southern Brazil,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, on the eve of COP30 in the Amazonian City of Belém. “This is why COP must achieve three things: It must send a clear signal: nations are fully on board for climate cooperation—that means agreeing to strong outcomes on all the key issues.”

‘We Want a Place at the Negotiation Table’ — Indigenous Leader

By Tanka Dhakal
Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon region are calling on climate negotiators to base climate initiatives on the recognition of the land rights of affected Indigenous communities. From the COP30 venue in Belém, these leaders are demanding full participation in the design and implementation of proposed projects.

The Silent War Before COP30: How Corporations Are Weaponising the Law to Muzzle Climate Defenders

By Bibbi Abruzzini and Lucia Torres (Forus) and Jake Wieczorek (Hivos)
As the world prepares for the next COP30 summit, a quieter battle is raging in courtrooms. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are the fossil-fuel industry’s new favourite weapon, turning justice systems into instruments of intimidation.

Challenging Elites, Defending Democracy: Oxfam’s Amitabh Behar Speaks Out

By Zofeen Ebrahim
Speaking to IPS on the sidelines of the International Civil Society Week in Bangkok (November 1–5), Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International and a passionate human rights advocate, highlighted his concerns about rising inequality, growing authoritarianism, and the misuse of AI and surveillance. Yet, he expressed optimism that, even as civic spaces shrink, young people across Asia are driving meaningful change. He also shared his vision of a just society—one where power is shared, and grassroots movements lead the way.

Strengthening Indigenous Lands Rights Key in Solving Deforestation in Amazon

By Tanka Dhakal
Strengthening Indigenous land rights will protect more forest in Brazil’s Amazon and avoid large amounts of carbon emission, according to new research released ahead of COP30.

Indigenous Communities Are the Frontlines of Climate Action—It’s Time COP Listened

By Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu
I had hoped to attend this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP) in person, to stand alongside fellow Indigenous leaders and advocate for the rights of our communities.

Weaving Wisdom and Science: Pacific Voices Call for Ocean Protection

By Sera Sefeti
In the packed conference hall of the Heritage Hotel, the sound of Pacific voices filled the air—not just through speeches, but in song, rhythm, and poetry. The Dreamcast Theatre Performing Arts group opened the Second Pacific Island Ocean Conference with an evocative performance, reminding leaders and practitioners why they had gathered: to listen. To listen to science. To listen to communities. To listen to the ocean itself.
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