WECAN AT UNPFII 2025
WECAN will be on the ground at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Twenty-Fourth Session in New York this year from April 21 - 25. This year's theme is "Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within United Nations Member States and the United Nations system, including identifying good practices and addressing challenges.”
WECAN will be there to advocate for the implementation of Indigenous rights and sovereignty, specifically the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), as a solution to the climate crisis and essential for protecting forests, waters, communities, and the global climate. As part of our advocacy, WECAN will release a policy brief, delivered to governments at the UNPFII connecting Indigenous sovereignty, women's leadership, climate action, and just transition.
Indigenous women leaders globally are fighting for healthy and thriving ecosystems and communities are a solution to interlocking crises! Please see below for further information about upcoming events and advocacy at the UNPFII, and check back soon for more information.
WECAN Events at the UNPFII
In-Person Event: Protecting Land, Rights, and Future Generations: Indigenous Women on the Frontlines of Climate Action and Earth Defense
Indigenous Rights are a
climate justice solution
and are central to
the foundation of democracy!
Please join us on Earth Day for our upcoming, impactful event, where Indigenous women leaders from across the globe will come together to highlight the urgent challenges facing their communities and our planet and inspiring paths forward in these times. Speakers will share firsthand experiences of the impacts of colonization, deforestation, extraction, and climate disruption while showcasing powerful climate solutions and strategies that uphold Indigenous rights and sovereignty and bring health and justice to their communities.
This event is part of the 24th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), and will emphasize the critical need to recognize and uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), which is essential to protecting their lands, cultures, and ways of life. WECAN will release a policy brief to governments on the vital importance of FPIC as a solution to interlocking crises.
Coinciding with Earth Day, we will also honor the women land defenders who are on the frontlines of protecting ecosystems from destruction, often at significant personal risk. Indigenous leadership and knowledge systems are essential to protecting land, forests, waters, and our global climate while cultivating long-standing egalitarian governance frameworks for current and future generations!
Confirmed Speakers include:
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Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador and WECAN Board Member and Project Coordinator, Turtle Island/USA
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Cindy Kobei (Ogiek), Co-Founder and Chair Person, Tirap Youth Trust, Kenya
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Galina Angarova (Buryat), Executive Director, SIRGE Coalition, Turtle Island/USA
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President Whitney Gravelle (Bay Mills Indian Community), President and Executive Council Bay Mills Indian Community, Chair of the Department of Interior’s Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee and Commissioner on the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, Turtle Island
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María Violet Medina Quiscue (Nasa), Indigenous leader and human rights advocate; Founder of the Roundtable for Indigenous Peoples Victims of Armed Conflict, and LAC Representative to the UNPFII, Cauca, Colombia
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Dr. Crystal A Cavalier, Ed.D, MPA (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), Co-Founder and CEO, 7 Directions of Service, Turtle Island, USA
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Paine Eulalia Mako, Executive Director, Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT), Tanzania
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Majo Andrade Cerda (Kichwa), Member of the Council of CONFENIAE, Leader of the Economy and Community Development area, Member of the Kichwa peoples of Serena, Federation of Napo Indigenous Organizations (FOIN), Ecuador
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Aimee Roberson (Choctaw, Chickasaw), Executive Director, Cultural Survival, Turtle Island, USA
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Betty Lyons (Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan), Executive Director, American Indian Law Alliance, Turtle Island
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Moderated by Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), USA
Collaborative & Partner Events at the UNPFII
Indigenous Leadership in Advocating for the Rights of Nature
Wednesday, April 23
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
CR-9, UN Headquarters, NY
UN accreditation required (not provided).
GARN’s Indigenous Council is gathering at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) to uplift Indigenous leadership in the global movement for the Rights of Nature. This is a powerful moment to honor and listen to Indigenous voices working to protect Mother Earth. WECAN is honored to support this event at the UNPFII.
UNPFII Indigenous Peoples WELCOMING CELEBRATION
(Private event for unpfii and allies) (Limited spots available, RSVP required)
Friday, April 25, 2025
5:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Venue: New York, NY
Please Register here.
Registration Limited to 50 invitations.
Not all registration are approved.
Approved registration will receive an invitation.
Hosted by iINDIGENOUS.ORG
