More than 50 Indigenous women leaders from across the world are set to gather in Antalya, Türkiye, on 8 November 2026 to present a joint political declaration calling for direct access to climate finance, stronger biodiversity protection and meaningful participation in international climate decision-making. Their initiative seeks to turn longstanding demands for climate justice into measurable commitments by governments.
As preparations for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) advance, Indigenous women are seeking to bring their knowledge, rights and priorities closer to the centre of global climate negotiations.
The International Indigenous Women’s Forum (IIWF), also known as FIMI, has announced that more than 50 Indigenous women leaders from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Arctic, North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe will present a joint political declaration in Antalya on Sunday, 8 November.
According to the organisers, the declaration will outline five political priorities and five accountability benchmarks intended to assess government commitments on climate finance, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, biodiversity conservation and the participation of Indigenous women in climate governance.
The initiative comes amid continuing concerns that communities contributing to ecosystem protection and climate resilience often have limited access to the financial resources and decision-making processes shaping climate action.
Climate Finance: Closing the Gap Between Commitments and Communities
One of the central issues raised by the International Indigenous Women’s Forum is the gap between international climate finance commitments and the resources that actually reach Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Citing research attributed to The Nature Conservancy, the Forum states that Indigenous Peoples and local communities receive only around 1% of funding, despite their important contribution to biodiversity conservation and the protection of carbon-rich ecosystems.
The organisers also refer to findings from the Women’s Global South Alliance indicating that 53% of surveyed organisations received either no core funding or less than 10% of their total budgets through such support.
These figures, as presented in the media advisory, highlight concerns about the accessibility and distribution of financial resources intended to support locally led climate action.
For Indigenous women’s organisations, the challenge extends beyond the total amount of finance pledged internationally. It also concerns eligibility requirements, funding intermediaries, institutional recognition and the ability of community-led organisations to access resources directly.
The forthcoming declaration is expected to call for financing mechanisms that better recognise Indigenous women as actors developing and implementing climate solutions, rather than solely as beneficiaries of externally designed programmes.
Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Protection
Indigenous women play important roles in maintaining traditional knowledge, managing natural resources, sustaining local food systems and developing responses to environmental change.
Yet their contributions are not always adequately reflected in national climate policies or international negotiations.
The Forum argues that recognising Indigenous knowledge must go hand in hand with meaningful political participation and access to resources.
This issue is particularly relevant to Africa, where community-based approaches to ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation intersect with broader debates over land rights, food security and sustainable development.
For climate governance to become more inclusive, the organisers maintain that Indigenous women must be able to influence decisions affecting their communities, territories and livelihoods.
A Just Energy Transition Must Respect Indigenous Rights
The planned declaration will also address the social and environmental implications of the global energy transition.
As countries expand renewable energy infrastructure, extractive activities and conservation initiatives, questions surrounding land rights, consultation and community participation have become increasingly important.
Indigenous women leaders are calling for stronger respect for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in projects affecting Indigenous Peoples and their territories.
Their position reflects a broader concern: climate solutions should not reproduce the inequalities, exclusions or rights violations that sustainable development policies are intended to address.
The Forum also wants international loss and damage discussions to recognise impacts that extend beyond monetary losses, including the disappearance of languages, traditional knowledge systems and cultural practices.
Such concerns underline the importance of considering the social and cultural dimensions of climate vulnerability alongside economic and environmental indicators.
African Leadership in the Global Indigenous Women’s Movement
African Indigenous women will be represented among the leaders participating in the initiative.
Among the international spokespersons identified by the organisers is Lucy Mulenkei, a Maasai leader from Kenya, co-founder of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum and Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.
Her work focuses on biodiversity conservation, traditional knowledge, climate finance and Indigenous women’s leadership in Africa.
Other spokespersons available for interviews include Tarcila Rivera Zea of Peru, Joan Carling of the Philippines and Sandra Creamer of Australia.
Their participation reflects the international scope of the initiative and the connections between Indigenous rights, biodiversity protection, climate finance and environmental governance across regions.
For African countries, these discussions also raise wider questions about how climate policies and financing mechanisms can better incorporate community knowledge, safeguard rights and support locally led solutions.
From Political Declarations to Measurable Commitments
Beyond raising awareness, the International Indigenous Women’s Forum intends to establish a framework for assessing the commitments made by governments.
The proposed five accountability benchmarks are expected to address progress on direct climate finance, recognition of Indigenous knowledge, meaningful participation in decision-making, protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and safeguards for Indigenous women human rights defenders.
The detailed wording of these priorities and benchmarks is expected to be presented during the declaration’s launch.
Their significance will ultimately depend on how governments and international institutions respond, and whether political commitments translate into accessible funding, stronger safeguards and genuine participation.
For Indigenous women leaders, the central message is that climate justice cannot be achieved without recognising the communities that protect ecosystems and sustain knowledge essential to adaptation and resilience.
As COP31 approaches, their initiative seeks to place that message firmly on the international climate agenda.
The declaration is scheduled to be presented on Sunday, 8 November 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Türkiye time, in Antalya.
Source: International Indigenous Women’s Forum (IIWF/FIMI), media advisory on the planned COP31 political declaration, November 2026. Figures and positions attributed to the Forum have not been independently verified by VivAfrik.