Indigenous Peoples Climate Action Fund (IPCAF)
The Indigenous Peoples Climate Action Fund was presented on Nov. 18, 2009, at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., in a roundtable with the participation of Indigenous practitioners from around the world, climate change and economic development experts, and potential donors.
In recognizing that Indigenous Peoples bear a "disproportionate share of the burden of climate change effects," World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick also recognized the importance of traditional knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. He called on the world to recognize the importance of "including those most affected by climate change in climate change debates."
The goal of IPCAF is to bridge from Indigenous stewardship of their own lands to a broad Indigenous pervasion of the global blueprints for surviving climate change. Toward this end, IPCAF grants will build bridges across traditional boundaries by supporting Indigenous-managed conservation, as well as dialogue between Indigenous knowledge-keepers and academic, governmental, and private sector scientists.
"If we can gather a rich mix of leadership," comments First Peoples Worldwide President and Founder Rebecca Adamson, "we'll figure out how to mitigate climate change. We'll bridge the usual divides between on-the-ground Indigenous practices and the global perspectives of science."
The cultural identity of Indigenous Peoples is closely linked to the fragile ecosystems on the ground where they live: mountains, forests, deserts, coasts and tropical islands, Arctic and subarctic areas. Under changed climate conditions, Indigenous communities will not only be the most affected, but may also prove to be among the most resourceful in designing practical, action-oriented solutions for improved human resilience.
IPCAF is a small-grant fund that will enable Indigenous Peoples to use their traditional knowledge, not only to improve the resilience of their own communities facing global climate change, but also to contribute to the global search for solutions. IPCAF helps bring to bear, on the most pressing global issue of our time, the centuries of human experience stored in traditional Indigenous knowledge.
Why a climate change fund with an Indigenous focus?
- Climate change affects current strategies for Indigenous Peoples' poverty alleviation
- Climate change has a broad impact on Indigenous Peoples
- Limited inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the global climate change dialogue
- Indigenous Peoples have limited access to direct funding mechanisms
IPCAF award-winning program design responds to the needs of practitioners and funding partners
IPCAF was designed as a joint effort between First Peoples Worldwide and the Social Development Department of the World Bank, and the IPCAF model was recently recognized in an essay competition sponsored by the Environmental Funders Network and Alliance Magazine (November/December 2009).
The program design allows for funding from different sources, such as private companies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, and development banks to reach out directly and rapidly to practitioners in the field, reducing transaction cost and promoting quick learning and turnaround.
Its basic framework incorporated the principles of 28 international Indigenous Peoples' declarations on climate change, as well as numerous other local and regional Indigenous Peoples' declarations.
Inputs on the barriers to funding faced by Indigenous Peoples came from regional practitioner roundtables held by First Peoples in the South Pacific, Africa, Central and South America, and Asia. A total of 50 in-depth case studies, along with 27 climate change grant applications in video format and 134 written funding applications all provided qualitative data points for designing the delivery mechanism and IPCAF program. In addition, quantitative data was solicited from over 878 contacts – 600 with Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Non-Governmental Organizations, and 278 with non-Indigenous NGOs working with Indigenous Peoples.
The data called for a program design that would support traditional knowledge directly at the community level and provide strategic linkages among grassroots practitioners across the globe, as well as with strategic regional, national, and international forums.
Contact us and participate in IPCAF
IPCAF will be managed directly by First Peoples Worldwide, with technical advice from the World Bank. It has already raised the interest of private foundations, multilateral and bilateral agencies and private companies, as well as local and regional Indigenous organizations.
First Peoples Worldwide is seeking potential funding and technical partnerships for the Indigenous Peoples' Climate Action Fund. IPCAF's commitment to open design means your feedback is welcome in facilitating the participation of your organization.
More Information
A Message from Rebecca Adamson, President and Founder of First Peoples Worldwide (Nov 2009)
Indigenous Peoples Climate Action Fund by Rebecca Adamson and Scott Klinger (Nov 2009)
Indigenous groups key in climate change debate: Zoellick (Nov 2009)
Press Release: World Bank Affirms Support to Indigenous Peoples in Designing Climate Change Responses (Nov 2009)
Traditional Indigenous Fire Management Techniques Deployed Against Climate Change (Dec 2009)
IPCAF Roundtable at the World Bank (Jan 2010)
|
 |
|
First Peoples Worldwide
857 Leeland Road • Fredericksburg, VA 22405 • USA
info@firstpeoples.org • (540) 899-6545
|
|
| © Copyright 2007-2011, First Peoples Worldwide
|
|
|
|
