Protecting Rights, Protecting Lands: Reflections on Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas
Today
Side Event at EMRIP 2025 – Palais des Nations, Geneva
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This side event, held on 16 July 2025 during the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), shed light on ongoing human rights violations linked to the creation and management of protected areas, particularly UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These violations—such as forced evictions, restrictions on Indigenous livelihoods, and violence by eco-guards—often occur in areas where major donors operate, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and where international conservation organizations such as WWF and WCS are directly involved in management, training, and oversight.
Despite the gravity of these abuses, accountability remains elusive. Donors, UNESCO, and conservation NGOs frequently fail to respond effectively or take responsibility. Even where grievance redress mechanisms (GRMs) exist, they are too often inaccessible, inadequate, or ineffective.
The event brought together Indigenous leaders and experts from Africa and Asia to share reflections, case studies, and actionable recommendations for strengthening accountability, improving donor and NGO safeguards, and advancing rights-based conservation models.
Speakers included:
- Luisa Castaneda-Quintana (Land is Life) – welcome and closing remarks
- Elisa Marchi (University of Arizona, IPLP) – the IPLP Initiative on Protected Areas
- Shohel Hajong (AIPP) – regional reflections from Asia
- Malih Ole Kaunga (IMPACT) – regional reflections from Africa
- Edward Porokwa (PINGO’s Forum) – case study on the Maasai of Tanzania
- Arnold Kreilhuber (UNEP) – advancing accountability through UNEP’s Core Human Rights Principles