Den internationale arbejdsgruppe for oprindelige folk, IWGIA, der er baseret i København, indleder et tre-årigt projekt, der i samarbejde med pastoralister i Kenya og Tanzania har som mål at få traditionelle folkeslags rettigheder på dagsordenen.
Det skriver IWGIA, Den Internationale Arbejdsgruppe for Oprinelige Folk, på sin hjemmeside fredag.
Two programme coordinators from IWGIA recently returned from Tanzania, where they helped kick off our newest climate project: Climate change partnership with indigenous peoples in East Africa.
Overall, the project aims to ensure indigenous peoples’ rights are reflected in decisions and policies related to land use in future climate change agreements, and are implemented at the national level.
More specifically, the main objectives include:
Strengthening national networks in their work on climate change issues, providing more focused advocacy on indigenous peoples’ rights and climate change in relation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and enhancing knowledge while increasing documentation on the effects of climate change on indigenous communities in Kenya and Tanzania.
As part of IWGIA’s climate and environment programme, the initiative builds on our extensive project partnerships with indigenous organizations in East Africa, particularly in Tanzania and Kenya.
With support from CISU, IWGIA has partnered with Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Organisations (PINGOS) Forum, which will take the lead in East Africa, and we look forward to close cooperation during the three-year project.
‘Together we have a voice’
A positive atmosphere filled the tiled conference room in Arusha, as indigenous representatives from more than 30 organizations engaged in discussion.
“This project gives us the best opportunity to work on climate change issues. The more we come together, the more we have a voice,” said Joseph Ole Simel of Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO), while speaking at the meeting.
IWGIA’s Climate Coordinator, Kathrin Wessendorf, noted that the two day event served as a constructive forum for dialogue, and project partners from all over Kenya and Tanzania contributed a wide array of local perspectives.
Food security already affected by climate change
The local lead organization, PINGOS Forum, is one of IWGIA’s long term partners. PINGOs Forum has more than 50 member organizations countrywide, and specializes in capacity building via trainings, strategic planning and other workshops.
The Forum has an excellent track record in lobby and advocacy work on behalf of pastoralists and hunter-gatherers, and can therefore leverage its prior experience to advocate for indigenous rights issues in climate change.
Maasai pastoralist and Executive Director of PINGOs Forum, Edward Porokwa, says climate change can be felt everywhere, and is especially affecting the food security of indigenous pastoralists in Tanzania.
“For the last 10 to 20 years we have had longer droughts and hotter dry seasons. The pastures can only be used for a few months, the river gets dry earlier than it used to do, and more floods are coming”, explained Porokwa.
“In 2009 for example, indigenous peoples from Longido district lost 80 percent of their livestock. Building a new stock will take a long time…and a lot of indigenous pastoralists are now depending on food from the government and international NGOs,” he added..
Moving forward
The regional kick off meeting was the first step of the inception phase. Our partner networks in Kenya and Tanzania are now organising national and community meetings in order to develop concrete activity plans and map out the next stage.
Above all, the inception phase aims to involve as many indigenous peoples and organizations as possible.
This ensures the project can benefit from the vast wisdom of East Africa’s indigenous communities, and in turn, creates an inclusive approach to tackling climate change.
Læs nyheden på IWGIA’s hjemmeside her: http://www.iwgia.org/news/search-news?news_id=1195
