At COP17, the United Nations biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, delegates are negotiating how a permanent body for Indigenous peoples and local communities will operate. Biodiversity means the variety of life in nature. The body aims to give these communities a stronger role in discussions and decisions about protecting it.
Known as the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j), it was adopted at COP16 in Colombia in 2024 after three decades of work and negotiations. Delegates now need to settle its operating rules, leadership arrangements, and funding. Some countries continue to oppose parts of the plans.
Lucy Mulenkei, a Masai leader from Kenya and co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, helped secure the body's creation. Although disagreements remain, she is hopeful about the outcome of COP17. She says Indigenous communities protect natural resources and must be genuine partners in achieving the global nature goals for 2030.
Mulenkei also supports bringing scientific research and Indigenous knowledge together rather than treating them separately. When researchers use communities' knowledge or resources, she says they need mutually agreed terms and a system for sharing benefits. For her, recognizing community rights is essential to this cooperation.
