The African Communities Resource Rights Alliance (ACRRA) and the Indigenous Peoples of Southern Africa Network (IPNeSA), supported by Jamma Conservation & Communities, have secured a significant milestone for Indigenous Peoples across Southern Africa following the formal inclusion of their coalition statement in the official record of the 2026 United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

As the United Nations’ leading platform for dialogue between Indigenous Peoples, governments, UN agencies, and international organisations, the UNPFII plays an important role in shaping global discussions on Indigenous rights, sustainable development, biodiversity, and human wellbeing. The recommendations and discussions emerging from the Forum help inform future international policy and influence major global processes, including negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Having the Southern African coalition statement formally included in the UNPFII record ensures that the region’s priorities are now part of the official UN dialogue. It means these issues are documented within the UN system, can be referenced in future discussions, and help inform ongoing international policy processes relating to Indigenous Peoples’ rights, conservation, and biodiversity.

Bringing Southern African priorities to the global stage

During the Forum, the Southern African delegation delivered two formal statements during plenary sessions, calling for greater recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, knowledge systems, and contributions to biodiversity conservation.

A central message was that Indigenous Peoples’ health, wellbeing, land, knowledge, and sustainable use of biodiversity cannot be separated. The delegation highlighted that recognising biocultural rights and rights-based approaches to conservation is essential not only for justice, but also for achieving effective and lasting conservation outcomes.

The statements drew attention to the ongoing impacts of colonialism, displacement, and the criminalisation of customary resource use, while calling for sustainable wildlife use to be recognised as a legitimate foundation for livelihoods, food security, cultural continuity, and community-led conservation.

The delegation also highlighted the increasing pressure facing Indigenous territories from extractive industries and emerging “green” and “blue” economy developments, emphasising that recognising Indigenous Peoples’ rights to land, territories, and natural resources is fundamental to conservation, climate resilience, and self-determined development.

A second intervention, delivered from a Botswana perspective, called for greater recognition of ancestral lands, Indigenous languages, customary knowledge systems, and stronger participation of Indigenous Peoples in national biodiversity planning ahead of the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP CBD) in Armenia in October 2026. It also highlighted the importance of targeted support for Indigenous women and children.

Advancing biocultural rights

Alongside the formal sessions, ACRRA hosted a dialogue at the Cultural Survival Indigenous Media Zone exploring how biocultural rights frameworks and Community Protocols can provide practical tools for strengthening relationships between people, land, and traditional knowledge systems.

A key theme throughout the discussion was that biocultural rights are not solely a conservation issue. They are equally central to Indigenous health, wellbeing, human rights, and self-determined development. ACRRA also supported IPNeSA’s side event reflecting on the network’s development since its launch at UNPFII in 2024, demonstrating the continued growth of collaboration and shared advocacy across Southern Africa.

Looking ahead

Attention now turns to the next phase of international biodiversity negotiations, including the COP CBD in Armenia.

Building on the momentum generated at UNPFII, ACRRA and IPNeSA will continue working to ensure Southern African Indigenous Peoples’ priorities remain visible within international policy processes and that rights-based approaches to conservation continue to shape global biodiversity discussions.