For the past two years, Dario Mejía Montalvo has presided over the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at a time when Indigenous peoples worldwide have gained new levels of recognition by scientists and policymakers for their role in protecting biodiversity-rich ecosystems, including keeping carbon in the ground. Despite this, leaders complain that they haven’t been given enough place at the negotiating table in global climate and biodiversity talks, while communities on the ground face numerous threats that undermine their rights, cultures, livelihoods, and the integrity of their lands. These include land dispossession due to deforestation and infrastructure projects, exacerbated impacts of climate change, and resource exploitation through unauthorized mining and drilling. Additionally, prominent issues in 2023 included continued killings of Indigenous environmental defenders across Latin America, and adverse effects of political upheavals on Indigenous rights, as well as the contentious sale of but that fail to include the consent of Indigenous communities. Mejía Montalvo, an Indigenous leader of the Zenu people of Colombia, stepped down on April 12 from his position as president of the forum to take up a role advising the U.N. as part of a panel on critical energy transition minerals. He recently spoke to Mongabay from New York. The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (left), elected Chair of 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, takes over from Dario Jose Mejia Montalvo. Image by UN Photo/Manuel Elías. Mongabay: There has been ongoing criticism…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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