Agenda item 10. Closure of the meeting at the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Panama City.
October 30, 2025
Statement on behalf of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), delivered by Florina Lopez Miro, Indigenous Women on Biodiversity Network global and Red de Mujeres Indigenas sobre Biodiversidad de America Latina y el Caribe.
Thank you, Co-Chair.
I speak on behalf of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB).
We pay our respects to the Guna, Embera, Waunan, Ngobe, Bugle, Bri bri and Naso Indigenous Peoples of Panama and their traditional territories. We want to thank the Government of Panama and its people for their kind hospitality and support to the CBD Secretariat. We thank all those who have supported our participation, including through the CBD Voluntary Fund.
The modus operandi must build on and strengthen the established and effective processes under the working group on article 8(j). While the SB8J is a new body, it will benefit from effective practices of the Working Group on Article 8(J) and needs to be informed by best practices in other relevant UN bodies and entities. A key principle is respect for the right to self-determination, which requires recognition of the self-determined organization of the world’s Indigenous Peoples into the 7 socio-cultural regions, as well as their regional selection processes. The 7 socio-cultural regions have proven to be effective and constructive in the work of the bodies that use it, and we urge the SB8J to adopt this practice.
We are conserving the most important biodiversity in our lands, water and territories. Therefore, the guidelines on task 1.1 and 1. 2 should recognize indigenous and traditional territories as a distinct system that contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity which is different from protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
Indigenous Peoples in isolation and initial contact maintain the most important cultural and biological diversity on the planet. We call for comprehensive and differentiated protection in line with the internationally recognized principles of noncontact, precaution and intangibility, in adopting coordinated national and regional measures that safeguard their lives, territories, self-determination and integrity, avoiding any activity that may put them at risk.
The IIFB would like to thank the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for its participation in the first meeting of SB8J and for its valuable intervention. With the presence of several of its members, the Forum demonstrated great respect for the Convention on Biological Diversity and for this Subsidiary Body. We also thank the Co-Chairs for providing space for the Permanent Forum, and consider this inclusive approach of a UN entity, highly valuable to the CBD process.
Leading up to COP17, the IIFB will carry out utmost efforts to contribute to the global review of collective progress in the implementation of KMGBF in multiple ways. Our collective global commitment is to publish the 3rd Edition of Local Biodiversity Outlooks as a complementary report highlighting the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the implementation of the KMGBF. We call on Parties to ensure that Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth are fully engaged in the NBSAP processes and look forward to seeing these reflected in the 7th national reports to be submitted in February 2026.
The urgency of the biodiversity crisis underscores the pressing need for resources to sustain and enhance biodiversity actions, particularly those led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We reiterate the importance of translating these discussions into tangible and equitable support for initiatives at all levels. The focus of the upcoming in-depth dialogue on Task 7.1 is timely and can contribute to enhancing the implementation of the KMGBF, especially as tools and guidance for equity, gender equality and the human rights-based approach emerge as a central area of work under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Regarding item 5c, the IIFB supports the process for a review of the glossary of terms, as an important step in which Indigenous Peoples and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles, can make their respective contributions. We reiterate our request that the nominations of the Expert Group members must be in line with the internal processes of the seven socio- cultural regions, as well as our own governance structures.
IIFB thanks the Parties that supported our proposals. The IIFB will continue to be part of the informal consultation process to advance the issues discussed at this meeting for a successful process leading up to COP 17.
We wish a safe journey to those who are already leaving, and we relay the invitation of our Indigenous brothers and sisters of Panama to visit their territories.
Thank you, Co-Chairs.
Photo courtesy of International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.
