Indigenous Peoples’ Voices on Biodiversity: Ms. Jill Carino – Philippines

The representatives of Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP) were part of the Asian Indigenous Peoples delegation at COP15 and played a significant role in articulating the concerns of Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous Women and Indigenous Youth, as well as influencing the outcomes of the event.

In a video message commemorating the International Day for Biodiversity, Jill Carino explains, “In the Philippines, Indigenous Peoples’ land, biodiversity, and traditional knowledge are the source of our sustenance and well-being. Indigenous wisdom teaches us to help each other to develop as a community, care for the land and its resources while paying respect to the unseen. Indigenous Wisdom provides a foundation for living a good life in harmony with nature.”

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework explicitly states that the implementation of the new framework must ensure that the rights, knowledge, including traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity, innovations, worldviews, values, and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities are respected, and documented and preserved with their free, prior and informed consent, including through their full and effective participation in decision-making, in accordance with relevant national legislation, international instruments, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and human rights law.

“On International Biodiversity Day let’s take action to protect our children’s heritage, in the face of threats to our existence and environment. Let’s remind our governments to abide by their international obligations and to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ rights,” emphasizes Carino.

To gain insights into what the world can learn from Indigenous ways of being and doing in the face of biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, watch this video featuring perspectives from Indigenous Youth, Indigenous Women, and members of the Indigenous Community in the Philippines.