The Huaran Declaration: Indigenous Peoples are the real solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises

The International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP) is a network of Indigenous communities and their partner organisations in 14 countries.

The sixth global learning exchange of INMIP brought together over 50 representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities from mountain regions in Peru, Bolivia and China, and semi-arid coastal Kenya, along with researchers, NGOs, local government and donors, in a six-day horizontal learning exchange and walking workshop in the Andes of Peru from 30 May to 4 June 2024.

The event aimed to enhance capacity to establish Biocultural Heritage Territories and explore key challenges facing Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and effective responses based on biocultural heritage (interlinked traditional knowledge, biodiversity, landscapes, cultural and spiritual values, and customary laws).

The learning exchange led to the Huaran Declaration, reaffirming rights to ancestral territories, self-determination and food sovereignty, as well as setting out calls to UNFCCC Parties meeting at COP29 and CBD Parties meeting at COP16.