Host Organisation

Pawanka Fund

Outline

Indigenous Peoples are increasingly recognized as rights holders and critical actors in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. Yet only a small share of climate finance reaches them directly, and funding systems remain largely designed around donors’ procedures, leaving key decisions outside Indigenous institutions. This session will launch the Principles and Guidelines for Donors and Intermediaries Channeling Funds to Indigenous Peoples (the Framework), developed through a participatory process led by the Indigenous Peoples’ Led Funds from the Global South. The Framework was shaped through consultations at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, London Climate Action Week, and New York Climate Week, with contributions from Indigenous organizations, donors, and intermediaries. The session will have two parts. First, it will present the Network of Indigenous Peoples’ Led Funds from the Global South: autonomous funds created and governed by Indigenous Peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, working to strengthen self-determination and expand direct access to funding. Second, it will present the Framework, which sets out non-negotiable rights-based principles (respect, solidarity, reciprocity, mutual accountability, and inclusion), positions direct funding as the first and preferred option, and offers a self-assessment tool for donors and intermediaries to progressively align their policies and practices. The session will invite Indigenous Peoples’ Led Funds, Indigenous organizations, donors, and intermediaries to continue building funding relationships that respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, governance systems, and their own priorities, including climate action and the care of their territories.

Speakers

Myrna Cuningham - Pawanka Fund

Joan Carling - Indigenous Peoples of Asia Solidarity Fund (IPAS)

Languages

EN SP