Indigenous Women Land Defenders of the Americas: Protecting Forests, Climate and Communities

May 9, 2019 | Osprey Orielle Lake
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From April 22-26, the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, an LDF grantee, hosted an Indigenous Women's Delegation to New York City for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Eighteenth Session. The UNPFII is a critical international forum for Indigenous women to have their voices, responses, and solutions heard by the public, media, and government representatives.

Indigenous women delegates from North and South America spoke out against the environmentally and socially destructive activities and policies threatening their homelands, and they presented their visions and strategies to shape a healthy and equitable future for their communities and the Earth. They particularly focused on the connections among climate solutions, Indigenous rights, women’s leadership, forest protection, and work to stop fossil fuel extraction.