Last week in Vienna, at the UN conference on international crime and environmental protection, I delivered a statement on why Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship is fundamental to global security.
My message to delegates, state representatives, and international experts emphasized the vital role Indigenous Peoples play every day on the front lines.
Indigenous Peoples are not a threat to States territorial integrity or national security. On the contrary, on a daily basis Indigenous Peoples are constantly organising, patrolling their lands, strategizing, collecting information, generating maps and putting at use their traditional knowledge to addressing challenges posed by criminal actors invading their lands. Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination over their ancestral lands is an investment in prevention and fight against international crimes.
To effectively combat transnational environmental crime and protect global security, the international community must recognize Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination not as a threat, but as an essential investment in peace and crime prevention.
Photo by IISD/ENB – Natalia Mroz.
UN summit takes a big step towards tackling crimes affecting the environment
