COP24 paves way for operationalization of Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform

by Denise Margaret Matias

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), established in 2015 under the Paris Agreement (Decision 1/CP.21), is one step closer to its operationalization after parties to the UNFCCC agreed to launch a Facilitative Working Group (FWG), which will be composed of seven party representatives and seven indigenous representatives. The FWG will also be open to having local community representatives once a constituency is established under the UNFCCC. This is a milestone for the UNFCCC, as it officially allows non-state parties to negotiate on an equal level as parties. With the launch of the FWG, the LCIPP inches forward towards fulfilling its functions of knowledge exchange, capacity building, and integration of indigenous knowledge in climate policies and actions.