Protectors of the Planet: Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

For centuries, indigenous peoples around the world have been the guardians of the world’s bio and cultural diversity with their wisdom and unique knowledge. Today, they care for more than 20% of the planet’s land and 80% of its biodiversity. In her address to the IIEA, United Nations SDG Advocate and Environment and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Activist, Hindou Ibrahim, discusses the indispensable role that indigenous communities play in protecting the environment and fostering a diverse range of ecosystems. She addresses the enormous challenges posed by climate change and by drawing on her experience as an SDG Advocate and her extensive knowledge of indigenous peoples’ practices she shares her valuable insights into how a just transition can be achieved; one in which everyone’s voice matters and to ensure no one is left behind.

About the Speaker:

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a Chadian environmentalist and geographer, and an expert in Indigenous Peoples’ adaption to climate change. As an indigenous woman from the Mbororo pastoralist people in Chad, Ms Ibrahim founded the Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and has worked on a 2D and 3D participatory mapping initiative in Chad’s Sahel region. In 2019, Ms Ibrahim became one of the 17 people to be appointed as an advocate of Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations Secretary General. She is the Coordinator of the AFPAT and has served as the co-director of the pavilion of the World Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative and Pavilion at COP21, COP22, COP23 and COP27, and now co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change.