The operating procedures for the subsidiary body on Indigenous Peoples and local communities have been approved at COP17, Armenian Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan wrote on Facebook.
He described the decision as historic.
“A historic decision has been adopted at COP17: the operating procedures for the subsidiary body on Indigenous Peoples and local communities under Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity have been approved.
This decision marks an important step toward strengthening the participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in biodiversity conservation and reinforcing the role of traditional knowledge,” he wrote.
During COP17, which is drawing to a close in Yerevan, displaced Artsakh Armenians and activists staged protests on the conference steps and outside official venues, drawing attention to their Indigenous identity, forced displacement from their homeland and collective right of return. COP17 organizers refused to provide a separate pavilion for Artsakh civil society organizations.
