[Image caption: ADVOCATE Indigenous people’s rights advocate Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (center) is flanked (from left to right) by Inquirer president and CEO Rudyard Arbolado, Inquirer Group of Companies president and CEO Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, associate publisher Juliet Labog-Javellana and executive editor Volt Contreras as she receives on March 11 her plaque and recognition as one of the Inquirer’s Women of Power awardees for 2024. —EUGENE ARANETA] 

Just a few years ago, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Victoria “Vicky” Tauli Corpuz, had every reason to live in fear.

During the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018, she was included in a list of 600 scholars, activists, and lawyers that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had wanted a Manila Regional Trial Court to describe as terrorists, along with the New People’s Army, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

At that time, Corpuz was serving as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, making the situation all the more alarming.

The Red-tagging stemmed from Corpuz’s condemnation of a 2017 large-scale military operation launched by Duterte to displace the “lumads,” the collective name for the indigenous group in Mindanao.

But the 71-year-old indigenous peoples (IP) rights advocate, who hails from Besao town in Mountain Province, did not waver in her mission to be the voice of the afflicted and the marginalized. 

Corpuz, a Kankanaey-Igorot, says the unfounded accusations hurled at her only fueled her determination to stand up for IPs who continually face threats while defending their lands.

For her, giving in to fear would have meant conceding defeat.

Supported by the global community, which stood by her during that challenging period, Corpuz confronted the allegations without hesitation.

On Sept. 21 last year, the DOJ’s petition was dismissed by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19 Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, who concluded that the government’s counterinsurgency measures “should include respect for the right to dissent, due process, and the rule of law.”

Corpuz is no stranger to being wrongly labeled for being an activist. During Martial Law under the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., her name was included in an “order of battle” or a hit list of personalities considered enemies of the state.

Prominent figure

With Corpuz’s devotion to mobilizing indigenous peoples and advocating for women’s rights in the last three decades, she has become a prominent figure in the global campaign for the recognition of IP rights.

And coming from a family of human rights and environmental defenders, Corpuz says she and her family members have endured persistent harassment and baseless allegations.

However, her efforts as an indigenous environmental defender resulted in her being shortlisted for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2023.

She is also known for her pivotal role in helping lead the successful push for the UN General Assembly to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. The declaration is an international instrument deemed a major, universal human rights document that IPs often resort to when defending their rights.

According to the website of the UN Human Rights Office, Corpuz also founded and managed various nongovernment organizations involved in social awareness raising, climate change, and the advancement of indigenous peoples’ and women’s rights, and she is a member of the UN Development Programme Civil Society Organizations Advisory Committee.

Currently, Corpuz serves as the executive director of IP research and advocacy group Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Center for Policy Research and Education), where she advocates for constructive dialogue.

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“We are political actors.”

Baguio City, Philippines--Eleanor Dictaan-Bang-oa, coordinator of the Indigenous Women Programme of Tebtebba and secretariat member of the Asia Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN), emphasized that indigenous women are actively doing different initiatives as political actors during the Capacity Building and Strategy Meeting of Indigenous Women in Asia held on November 13-15 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Twenty-four (24) indigenous women from 11 Asian countries participated in the meeting that aimed to enhance the capacities of indigenous women towards their self-determined and sustainable development.

During the opening session, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, executive director of Tebtebba and convenor of the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN), emphasized the importance of upholding equality among men, women, LGBTQI+ and others. “We know that the issues of indigenous women are sensitive but we have standards that we must uphold, the equality between men and women, the LGBTQI+, and others,” she said.

Tauli-Corpuz also highlighted the significance of the participation of indigenous women in the World Conference of Women in Beijing in advancing their human rights and in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She noted the challenges in disseminating the information about the Goals globally and in reaching geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) where most indigenous peoples reside.

Emphasizing specific targets with reference to indigenous peoples, Tauli-Corpuz acknowledged the inadequacy of efforts to achieve the SDGs within the stipulated timeframe. “In the report, it says we cannot achieve these goals but possible only over a longer period of time,” she added.

In addition, Dictaan-Bang-oa discussed the salient provisions of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) General Recommendation No. 39 on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls adopted in 2022.

She noted that efforts and initiatives are underway to disseminate GR No. 39, including its widespread dissemination among indigenous women and girls (IWGs), indigenous peoples, as well as  states and their agencies, and the use GR No. 39 as an advocacy tool for indigenous women and indigenous peoples at the different levels.

As part of the meeting, Helen Biangalen-Magata of the Climate and Biodiversity Programme of Tebtebba, through a virtual presentation, provided historical contexts and updates on the global discussions on climate change within the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She highlighted gains and achievements of indigenous peoples along with their continuing efforts to push for the inclusion of indigenous people's rights in climate adaptation and mitigation measures.

Similarly, Abigail Kitma, also of the Climate and Biodiversity Programme of Tebtebba, provided through a virtual presentation updates from the processes of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD). She discussed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) as well as the Gender Plan of Action of the CBD.

As part of enhancing the communications skills of the participants to be able to create and share their community data effectively, Jimrex Calatan, communications and outreach staff of Tebtebba, provided basic guidelines on news writing and journalism. Equally, Gideon Ammang, multimedia and communication staff of Tebtebba, conducted a hands-on workshop on creating advocacy materials like picture quotes and infographics using Canva, an online design graphic platform that is used to create social media graphics and presentations. He also shared basic tips on photography and videography to effectively capture highlights of activities.

An important part of the meeting, the participants mapped their different initiatives on sustainable development, on climate change and biodiversity and on advancing their human rights as indigenous peoples and as indigenous women. Some also shared their inputs to the draft action plan of the International Indigenous Women’s forum (IIWF-FIMI) towards the effective implementation of CEDAW GR. No. 39.

In conclusion, Tauli-Corpuz highlighted several aspects crucial for indigenous peoples to continue their advocacy effectively, including building capacity on awareness raising, advocacy, communications, constructive dialogues, and research. “Try to put much more work on awareness raising. We need more women who are empowered, who can occupy positions from local to international levels,” she emphasized.

The activity was jointly implemented by Tebtebba, Asia Indigenous Women’s Network, ELATIA Partnership, and the Indigenous Navigator Initiative. It was supported by AYNI, Bread for the World, the European Union, and The Christensen Fund.

"Indigenous knowledge is very crucial in making solutions and managing the risks of climate change, biodiversity, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Shohel Hajong, program officer at the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), who served as a moderator of the Indigenous Navigator (IN) side event at the Indigenous Pavilion of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change during the Conference of Parties (COP) 28 of the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change held from December 1-12, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates highlighted the important role that indigenous peoples play in the key worldwide concerns.

Shohel opened the event by introducing the IN as a community monitoring framework by and for indigenous peoples where indigenous communities are very involved in the process of collection and comparison of community-generated data at local and the national level, making implementation gaps visible. Launched in 2014, the IN monitors the implementation of international instruments including but not limited to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), outcome of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP), and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At present, the IN is being implemented in more than 28 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Indigenous Navigator Country Implementation

Yun Mane of the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO) shared the result of their community questionnaire that revealed that indigenous communities in their country suffer from the impacts of deforestation. Additionally, the communities suffer from investors of mining, dams, and socio-tourism projects granted by the government as they take timber to sell, destroy delicate soil, and clear the forests which cause an increase in weather unpredictability, extreme flooding and drought. This, then, is where IN comes in not just to monitor if the commitments of states are being implemented but also as evidence to advocate for the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights.

"This (Indigenous Navigator) is a very important document for us, indigenous peoples, as well as [for] the government because it is an evidence-based document [that] you can use to monitor our rights that have been stipulated in the UNDRIP and also in other conventions like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Mane stressed.

In Nepal, Manoj Rai of the Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) recommended that states should commit to climate funds, increase protected areas, and data disaggregation to record on-the-ground experiences of indigenous peoples. Additionally, Rai urged duty bearers to use the IN to fulfill the data gaps and add more resources to gather information from more areas, obtaining the real situation of indigenous communities. "[The] Indigenous Navigator is a powerful tool to use for advocacy," he concluded.

"This (Indigenous Navigator) is one of the projects that needs replication. Data collectors learn more about their rights and the situation of their own communities while speaking their own language," said Anne Samante of Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO) in Kenya. Samante highlighted that for the longest time that Indigenous rights have been violated, there is a lack of evidence and that the IN gave them the opportunity to not just have proof of violations but also to use the data for advocacy as well as open dialogues with the state and other stakeholders. Anne also mentioned that the IN under its Small Grants Program gave indigenous communities the freedom to choose the development project they wanted based on their specific needs and priorities.

"We say that knowledge is power. Knowledge becomes [a] more significant power if we find ways to utilize it [while] ensuring [that] our rights [are respected]," emphasized Chadra Tripura, an indigenous youth from Bangladesh. She highlighted the need to transfer the traditional knowledge to the next generations especially with regards to the contributions of indigenous peoples to solving global problems including climate change. As an indigenous youth, Tripura shared that as young people nowadays live in the technological era, they take the burden of protecting their traditional knowledge and adapting to modern knowledge. "They (states) must include indigenous youth in decision making in policies," Chandra strongly recommended.

Ketty Marcelo from Organización Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas Andinas y Amazónicas del Perú (ONAMIAP) also shared their experience in implementing the Indigenous Navigator in Latin America where displacements of indigenous peoples are happening due to development projects that also destroy the environment. Marcelo also shared that at first, they found the IN  tool hard to understand, but that gradually they learned to adopt it in relation to their own realities. Through the tool, they were able to collect data showing the violation of their rights as enshrined in the UNDRIP. Through the findings, Ketty shared that they were able to write a report  that provided information on the violations and situations they were experiencing which they then presented to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Additionally, Ketty highlighted the need to re-echo the data back to the community it came from so they can be aware of their rights, situations and priorities.

IN as monitoring and advocacy tool

Nicky Batang-ay from the Climate and Biodiversity Program of Tebtebba shared that along with the IN, they also implement the Community-Based Monitoring and Information Systems (CBMIS) - both are monitoring tools used by and for indigenous peoples. Since the implementation of these initiatives, Nicky revealed that they learned three fundamental points: One is the “timeless wisdom and modern approach” where he highlighted that since time immemorial, indigenous peoples have been monitoring their well-being as well as their surroundings including climate issues. "The good thing [about] IN [is that] it helps indigenous communities systematically organize the data that they have been gathering from the ground," he said. Second is the “dynamic role of indigenous data” not only for realization of indigenous rights but also for coming up with a comprehensive plan appropriate for their community. Third, empowering indigenous peoples through education where training on collecting data is stressed as well as the capacity to manage it.

"Indigenous Navigator is a tool for ground-truthing… The IN is a tool to bring indigenous specific data to the table of policy- and decision- making," said Kimaren Ole Riamit of the Indigenous Livelihood Enhancement Partners (ILEPA) as he gave the concluding remarks of the side event. Kimaren challenged partners, states, and civil society and organizations to connect across spaces and across networks to come together to deliver the aspiration of humanity for a better world and a better people tomorrow.

This side event was co-organized by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Tebtebba, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), and the Indigenous Navigator consortium funded by the European Union. ###

“The objective of the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) is to strengthen indigenous peoples’ communities through strengthening their self-driven development within the framework of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to also generate lessons learned and approaches for replication and upscaling.”

Helen Valdez of Tebtebba stressed the general objective of the IPAF, as she recounted highlights of its history as well as its corresponding call for proposals, project approval, and implementation proper during the IPAF 6 Asia-Pacific: Launching and Inception Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand on 6-10 November 2023. Participated in by about 37 partner representatives from the Asia-Pacific region, the five-day event was a formal opening of its sixth cycle in the area.

In line with the IPAF 6^th Cycle theme, “Advancing Indigenous peoples’ conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity for adaptation and resilience to climate change”, a total of 17 projects in the Asia-Pacific region shall be supported for a span of 36 months inclusive of the four months needed for auditing and finalization of reports, among others.

Because IPAF 6 projects in Asia and the Pacific are monitored and assisted by Tebtebba, the assigned Regional Indigenous Peoples Organization (RIPO) for the Asia-Pacific region, the first day of the event revolved around introductory topics including a backgrounder on Tebtebba and the Indigenous Peoples Sustainable Self-Determined Development (IPSSDD), the main framework that guides all of the organization’s program work. A concise version of the IPSSDD training then commenced, providing participants with a review of the different concepts, instruments, laws, and principles relevant to indigenous peoples and indigenous peoples rights such as the UNDRIP, General Recommendation No. 39 under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), sustainable development, climate change, and biodiversity.

Together, partners walked through the partnership agreement which is a common reference for the implementation of the 17 projects across their diversity. This was followed by a review of the project logical framework as a significant tool in project design, management, monitoring and evaluation followed. Capping the second day was a presentation of the IPAF global indicators for adoption into the projects as they found relevant.

The morning of the third day dwelled on project-based workshops, allowing the partners to finetune their corresponding logframes so as to include several aspects like baselines, indicators, risks and risk mitigation measures. Plenary reporting followed in the afternoon where partners were asked to share about their projects, highlighting their logframes and the indicators identified and adopted. Partners from Cambodia (2), Mongolia (1), Philippines (1), Indonesia (3), India (4), and Papua New Guinea (1) presented in the plenary. “We formed an organization to try to advocate for our rights. [Being granted support to conduct our project is] really an honor and something we are really appreciative of… we are putting every dime so they can know that… constructive participation is going on here,” Steven Magil, project partner of the Mope Development Co-operation Association, Inc. the IPAF partner in Papua New Guinea said. “That’s how far we have tried to lobby for self-determined development,” he added.

The fourth day started with a continuation of the partners’ presentation of projects from Bangladesh (2) and Vietnam (2). After the sharing, Jane Yap-eo of Tebtebba provided some observations including the following: (1) the need to rephrase some of their indicators to render them more specific, (2) the relationship between objective and outcome, (3) the necessity of enlisting several component activities to reach a certain outcome, and (4) the assertion of indicator achievability within a given timeframe. “We still have to further finetune our logframes,” she said.

Eleanor Dictaan-Bang-oa, Coordinator of the Indigenous Women Program of Tebtebba, however, stressed the need to be mindful of the language used. “Language sensitivity must be observed,” she asserted. “We should be careful of the language we use when presenting our projects. We must not mimic stereotypes in describing indigenous peoples. Do not rub salt to the injury,” she emphasized, reiterating the systemic prejudice and historical abuses that indigenous peoples have been dealt with and the necessity of heightening the collective advocacy to stop these.

A session on project narrative reporting took place after the partners’ discussion of their logframes. Dictaan-Bang-oa shared some guidelines on how project narrative reports must be written, stressing that “part of project implementation is the writing of reports” to document results, challenges, lessons learned, and ways forward, among others. “Reports must contain basic details, disaggregated and referenced with supporting documents. Beyond the project logframes, the most important thing that we would like to see, at the end of the cycle, is how projects influenced the lives of your intended partner indigenous peoples’ organizations and/or communities. We have to be mindful of documenting these in various ways, i.e. audio-visual interviews, storytelling, news and/or feature writing, among others,” she emphasized.

The afternoon of the fourth day focused on the finance section of the partnership agreement. Catalino Corpuz Jr, Finance and Administration Manager of Tebtebba, provided the guidelines for the requesting and downloading of funds as he noted that effective financial management is necessary for smooth fund transfers. “We have to ensure that the funds that are sent or transferred to us for a certain year are properly mobilized,” Corpuz said as he stressed the importance of synchronizing project workplans with corresponding budget allocation and submitting documentation on time.

Lea Patugad of Tebtebba continued the discussion of finance matters, presenting the different forms and templates for finance reporting. She then provided exercises, allowing the participants to better understand how the finance process should be.

The last day of the event delved on knowledge management. This author provided the first part of the session, dwelling mainly on the basics of knowledge management, stating that it includes (1) identification, (2) organization, (3) storage, and (4) dissemination of data. She then discussed storytelling and social media as effective tools for dissemination as these were popular ways by which any campaign can be highlighted, made more relatable, and brought more closer to like-minded actors as well as stakeholders. “Effective change can occur when effective information dissemination is pursued, ensuring also that data shared is verifiable and credible,” she said.

Jimrex Calatan of Tebtebba facilitated the next part of the session, presenting how to create impactful videos as part of information dissemination. He presented several examples of video productions that convey specific messages in various ways. “A video is another tool or tactic by which information can be effectively shared,” he shared.

The last session dwelled on the ways forward of the event. “We are still starting our journey and we have to finalize project-related documents to move forward,” noted Dictaan-Bang-oa as she asked partners to work further on their logframes to ensure a smooth start to project implementation.