Indigenous Peoples call for direct access to Loss and Damage Funds in SB 58

BONN, Germany, June 12, 2023- “Parties should create a mechanism within the Loss and Damage Fund that ensures direct access for indigenous peoples.”

Jerome Ilagan of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines asserts that loss and damage for indigenous peoples may encompass initiatives such as supporting the maintenance, restoration, and protection of indigenous lands and waters. According to him, this enhances their resilience based on their own priorities, systems of governance, and traditional knowledge.

In the side event of Tebtebba and Elatia in the 58^th meeting of the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, on June 8, 2023 in Germany, Ilagan calls for parties to provide space for indigenous peoples in key decision-making avenues for loss and damage.  The Chief of Policy Research and Development Division of the commission, indigenous peoples’ engagement will lead to a more inclusion and long term solutions.

The event stirred discussions among the participants especially in terms of defining what non-economic losses mean in the light of the ongoing discussion of the Loss and Damage Funds in the UNFCCC.

One participant asked the perspective of the panel about how to “compensate” non-economic losses and if non-economic losses should really be paid for.

Joseph Simmel, of the Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO), responded that the divide of economic and non-economic losses is imposed by states when indigenous peoples are not on the table. Hence, according to him, indigenous peoples must be  engaged in the further documentation and discussions about of this issue. The danger, according to him of labeling losses as economic and non-economic, is that non-economic may be construed as something that lacks value. He then clarifies that while money cannot account for language that is lost or increasing gender-based violence as a result of climate change for instance, loss and damage funds could help prevent this.

According to Eileen Mairena of the Centre for the Indigenous Peoples' Autonomy and Development (CADPI) provided some lessons learned from indigenous peoples’ engagement with the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which is another financial operating entity of the UNFCCC. She said that while far from perfect, the GCF has its own indigenous peoples policy, indigenous peoples advisory group and robust safeguards in place. She said these are the minimum that the Loss and Damage Fund must put in place as well.

 Loss and Damage, according to Victoria Tauli-Corpuz of Tebtebba Foundation said that loss and damage are a result of slow-onset and extreme climactic events that go beyond the capacity of communities to adapt to. Nicky Batang-ay who is also from Tebtebba cites that while indigenous peoples have always been resilient, if there is no real cut of emission at source, Indigenous peoples’ capacities will be stretched beyond their limit.   

 In closing, Simmel asserted that an inclusive dialogue on the definition of loss and damage must engage indigenous peoples. “States have good intentions but they need to learn and hear from us [indigenous peoples]… as we have the capacity and we are the ones being impacted”, he added.

The event was moderated by Grace Balawag of by Tebtebba and was supported by Nia Tero.