Indonesia has much work to do at home to demonstrate its commitment to the recently concluded COP16, which agreed to form a global indigenous body to protect and recognize indigenous communities' wisdom and efforts in biodiversity conversation, including by passing the long-stagnant 2012 bill on indigenous people.
he curtain has fallen on the 12-day United Nations biodiversity conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, with a decision to establish an international body to protect and recognize indigenous people and local communities for their conservation efforts, a move Indonesia eventually supported following an initial rejection.
Local environmentalists view the decision as just the beginning, with more work to be done domestically to formally acknowledge and protect indigenous wisdom so Indonesia can fulfill its global commitment to protect biological diversity.
The 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) wrapped up on Saturday after negotiations on key issues during the closing plenary session ran half a day longer than scheduled.
The extended talks resulted in delegations approving the creation of a permanent body to represent the interests of indigenous people, as mandated by the COP15 framework agreed two years ago in Montreal, Canada.
Among the countries to back the new body was Indonesia, which reversed its initial rejection in the earlier negotiation rounds. Delegates said supporting the proposal was in line with the country’s commitment to support the concerns of indigenous and local communities under the biodiversity convention.
“In the spirit of compromise, Indonesia, with its 1,320 [ethnic groups], supports the proposed text delivered by Brazil,” Lu’lu’ Agustiana, a senior policy analyst with the Environment Ministry, said in a statement on Saturday.
Read also: COP16: Indigenous peoples call for recognition, support in protecting nature
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