Asociación Ak’ Tenamit is an Indigenous IUCN member organisation based in Guatemala. We were elated to see the overwhelming support from other IUCN member organisations for the adoption of the IUCN’s Global Indigenous Agenda for the Governance of Indigenous Lands Territories, Waters, Coastal Seas and Natural Resources at the 2021 World Conservation Congress in Marseille.
The Indigenous Peoples Organisations (IPOs) membership category was approved in 2016 in Hawaii. Five years later, at the 2021 IUCN Congress in Marseille, member organisations were officially recognised as IPOs for the first time. This milestone also marked the first time that Indigenous representatives, through their IPOs, could vote in the IUCN General Assembly and directly influence decision making.
The Global Indigenous Agenda is the product of a year-long series of meetings involving Indigenous organisations from across the globe, and it lays a clear path forward for the full and effective engagement of IPO members in the IUCN’s mission and work.
Over the last four years, our organisation has implemented numerous activities focused on contributing to the implementation of the Indigenous Agenda. Under the IUCN supported Inclusive Conservation Initiative ICI, hundreds of our rural Indigenous students have received training regarding Indigenous land rights, Indigenous governance and stewardship of nature, as well as national and international legislation regarding conservation and climate change.
Indigenous students learning to use mapping technology (Ak’ Tenamit)
Indigenous youth have learned to measure land using geographic information system (GIS) technology. This helps their communities secure land tenancy and identify areas for community conservation. Spaces have been created to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of traditional Indigenous knowledge between elders to youth. This has helped strengthen new Indigenous leadership by equipping proactive youth with the knowledge and tools needed to ensure the continued Indigenous stewardship of critical ecosystems.
Students supporting indigenous communities secure land tenancy (Ak’ Tenamit)
We encourage all IUCN members to continue recognising and supporting the vital role Indigenous communities play in the conservation of biodiversity. It is imperative to protect Indigenous land rights and to support the development of inclusive financial mechanisms that give Indigenous peoples direct, large-scale access to funds for their own conservation and climate initiatives.
Krizzley Ordoñez García coordinating reforestation activities
At the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, we look forward to strong support from all IUCN members for motions that recognise the vital contributions of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and governance systems in advancing global conservation goals. It is essential that IUCN and the conservation community at large implement affirmative actions that increase the legal recognition of traditional Indigenous territories to protect Indigenous land rights during the implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Indigenous Peoples are not asking to be included – they are calling for rightful recognition as co-creators of global solutions. Our hope is that IUCN will not only continue this historic shift, but deepen its commitment to partnerships that transfer power, elevate Indigenous leadership, and place Indigenous rights and knowledge at the heart of conservation.