10/10/2025
11:30 - 12:00
Indigenous Peoples' Pavilion
, Onsite
Why attend
This session explores co-stewardship as more than collaboration — it is co-developing, co-designing, and co-governing conservation. Drawing on Indigenous leadership, Resolution 119, and IUCN’s truth and reconciliation journey, we will confront colonial legacies and envision equitable partnerships that honor Indigenous rights, knowledge, and responsibilities to Mother Earth.
Session Description
Indigenous Peoples have long cared for their lands and territories, yet conservation has often ignored or undermined these roles through colonial legacies such as exclusionary protected areas. Resolution 119 (2020) calls IUCN to renounce the Doctrine of Discovery and to rediscover care for Mother Earth through reconciliation and Indigenous-led stewardship. This session, part of the Indigenous Summit before the World Conservation Congress, focuses on what genuine co-stewardship means. Moving beyond symbolic inclusion or consultation, co-stewardship requires shared authority: Indigenous Peoples and partners co-developing, co-designing, and co-governing conservation frameworks. The dialogue will explore how IUCN can transform its practices and governance by recognizing Indigenous rights, integrating diverse knowledge systems, and addressing systemic imbalances in decision-making. Together, we will envision reconciliation as lived practice—enabling equity, justice, and Indigenous leadership in shaping global conservation.Speaker
Moderator
Deputy Chair, CEESP, IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy 2021-2025