UN Climate Change News, 21 November 2024 - COP 29 took a decisive step to elevate the voices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in climate action, adopting the Baku Workplan and renewing the mandate of the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP).
The adopted decision acknowledges the progress made by the FWG in fostering collaboration among Parties, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and underscores the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in addressing the climate crisis.
The Baku Workplan focuses on three key areas: promoting knowledge exchange, building capacity for engagement, and incorporating diverse values and knowledge systems into climate policies and actions.
Developed through consensus, the plan outlines six collective approaches:
- Gathering of knowledge holders
- Regional engagement
- Seventh-generation roundtables
- Collaborating with UNFCCC bodies and workstreams
- Enhancing engagement with Parties
- Overall strategic planning
Implementation of the Baku Workplan will begin in 2025 with a priority-setting workshop involving the incoming FWG members and ensuring continuity.
Breaking down barriers to engagement
The FWG's 2024 report identified several barriers to full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the UNFCCC process, including language barriers and lack of strategic alignment of FWG membership transitions with workplan development and activity review timelines.
To overcome these challenges, COP 29 invited Parties that wish to do so to provide simultaneous interpretation into languages other than the official languages of the United Nations to better reflect the linguistic diversity of participants at meetings of the FWG and in mandated LCIPP events.
The adopted decision also introduces staggered FWG membership terms to preserve institutional knowledge and ensure continuity.
Looking ahead
The FWG will implement the Baku Workplan in a gender-responsive and collaborative manner, with a review of progress scheduled for 2027. This will include the development of the next LCIPP workplan for 2028-2031.
The decision to renew the FWG's mandate represents a significant step forward in strengthening the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in global climate action.
By adopting the Baku Workplan, the global community reaffirms its commitment to weaving the knowledge, values and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities for inclusive and transformational climate action.
About the FWG
The Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) is a constituted body established at COP24 in Katowice to further operationalize the LCIPP and facilitate the implementation of its three functions related to knowledge, capacity for engagement, and climate change policies and actions. The FWG collaborates with other bodies under and outside the Convention, as appropriate, to enhance the coherence of the actions of the Platform under the Convention. The FWG is comprised of 14 representatives: 7 representatives of Parties and 7 representatives from Indigenous Peoples organizations.
