As the world searches for answers to the climate crisis and the global backsliding of human rights, Indigenous Women says they are doing much more than just resisting: they are leading.
From Colombia to Papua New Guinea, they believe they are regenerating ecosystems, promoting circular economies, and defending their territories with solutions that appear to be working.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), women leaders from around the world are gathering in Lima, Peru, to celebrate their achievements, share knowledge, strengthen alliances, and chart strategies to face global challenges.
“This anniversary is not just a commemoration, but a political act that defies the current context of setbacks in rights and reduced funding for equality.”
In this context, FIMI is launching a report titled “Beijing +30: Indigenous Women in Action,” which reveals both the critical situation faced by Indigenous Women and the transformative solutions they are already leading in response to the climate crisis, structural inequalities, and systemic violence.
The document presents concrete evidence of the challenges faced by Indigenous Women worldwide and documents initiatives led by them in various regions to address these inequalities. The report sends an urgent message: to continue ignoring this leadership is to squander some of the most effective and sustainable solutions to the climate, human rights, and social justice crises that threaten the world today.
The report is enriched by the direct contributions of Indigenous Women and Youth from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and the Arctic, who are implementing effective solutions and strategies to protect their territories, cultures, and ways of life on the planet. These proposals, which integrate ancestral knowledge with science and technology, not only respond to local challenges but can also be adapted and replicated in different contexts around the world. The document presents a solid base of qualitative and quantitative evidence on the challenges they face and the solutions implemented.
More than asking for support, they propose reciprocity, shifting the traditional narrative and making visible what women from different Indigenous Peoples are already doing for the planet, despite facing systemic violence and receiving merely 1.4% of the global funding allocated to women and girls.
“Funding must reach grassroots organizations and influence local and regional governments to achieve the implementation of GR39, and to secure its application worldwide,” stated Tarcila Rivera Zea (Quechua, Peru), founder of FIMI.