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At the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP16) a delegation of African Indigenous youth from the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) and the Network of Indigenous and Local Populations for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa (REPALEAC) participated in a side-event hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). They represented countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The discussion opened with delegates introducing themselves, their community, and their relationship with diverse fauna and flora of cultural importance to them. 

Amos Kebonemotse, from Botswana, described how in his Khwe community nature's gifts are woven into the fabric of their cultural heritage and daily existence, noting, “our immediate environment is more than a backdrop; it is our pharmacy, our water source, and our vibrant marketplace.” Highlighting the renowned Baobab tree, he points out how it is celebrated for its nutritional bounty and is central to many traditional dishes. Likewise, the buck ochna tree, or ochna pulcra, offers fruits that can be transformed into natural cooking oil, and wild sage stands as another invaluable resource, serving as an effective mosquito repellent.

These practices exemplify his community’s profound respect for nature, as he notes, “It reminds us of our duty to conserve and transmit our cultural wisdom for generations to come." 

Indigenous youth, however, also emphasised the challenges they face in maintaining their relationship with nature and practicing their traditional knowledge. Jeffrey Tsam, from the Haiǁom San community in Namibia, noted how he can no longer hunt like his father, as the connection that his family had with nature has weakened over the years. The establishment of modern mining industries, guest farms, and conservation practices has isolated Jeffrey from areas he and his father used to access when they hunted wild animals for food. Jeffrey lamented, “I lost all my inherent, special connection with wildlife that would alert my father of a successful hunt.” Today, it is difficult for them to practice cultural hunting techniques as they used to before.  This is because commercial farmers and government policy developers had taken over the land they had settled. 

Jeffrey recalled how his mother used to feed the family from a variety of fruits she would gather while her son and husband were out hunting and noted how he “miss the taste of wild berries (≠âu), ground nuts (ǁnarūn), and the medicinal benefits of the Devil’s claw (ǁkhuripeǁkhams, scientific name harpagophytum procumbens).” Jeffrey pointed to the fact that as Indigenous youth, it has become almost impossible to pass these traits and traditional knowledge to the next generation with all the limitations preventing them from practicing their traditional ways of life. 

Jean-Paul Mwassa highlighted how, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, modernization constitutes a major barrier to the development of Indigenous cultures, noting that “educational and scientific systems do not take into account Indigenous cultures and consider them to be outdated, unethical, illogical, and archaic.  Other dominant religions consider our cultural practices to be witchcraft, while new technologies that demand minerals needed to manufacture devices lead to the destruction of our sacred sites, cultural landmarks, and biodiversity”.  

He further pointed to how the pursuit of natural resources in their Indigenous territories forms the basis of many wars and various conflicts, causing displacement and paving the way for the violation of their human rights. He lamented that conservation policies often do not take into account the human rights of Indigenous peoples. In particular, the creation of Protected Areas is done by dispossession of their lands without taking into account their existence, pushing them to live in extreme poverty on the edge of the forests, deprived of their land and unable to exercise their traditional way of life.  

Without recourse or any form of compensation, they are often left without access to the most basic social services, like education, housing, health, etc., causing high rates of malnutrition, mortality, and various diseases in their communities. Moreover, being forced to live among other majority groups who do not have the same culture or way of life makes them victims of discrimination. They are also not represented in the design of national policies, which affects their ability to enjoy the benefits of their ancestral lands and its resources.  

Considering the challenges that African Indigenous youth and their broader communities face in maintaining their cultural connection with nature and their traditional knowledge, Glorieuse Zania, a young Indigenous woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo, pointed to how essential it is that Indigenous youth are aware of the importance of their culture. This is because the loss of their culture will eventually lead to the loss of their identity. 

She put forward that an increased awareness of the value of traditional culture will encourage Indigenous youth to value nature and their territories, thus placing the preservation of nature at the heart of their actions. She emphasizes the need to strengthen the transmission of traditional knowledge by creating spaces or programs where elders can share their knowledge, such as agricultural practices, traditional medicine, and crafts. 

This precious knowledge, adapted to current realities, will ensure its preservation and continuity for generations to come. As an Indigenous youth with an awareness of the importance of her culture and her identity. 

Laurette Nizigiyimana, a young Indigenous woman from Burundi, called for greater investment in Indigenous youth as the stewards of biocultural diversity, the people with the important task of carrying forward the precious knowledge and ways of life of those that have come before to the generations to come. She put forward that this should be done by supporting intentional programmes, providing financial investments, and capacity-building to Indigenous youth to ensure their voices are amplified. 

COP 16 was significant for recognising the important role that Indigenous People must play in the execution of the global agenda to bring to a halt the rapid rate at which the Earth’s biological diversity is disappearing. This stems from the recognition that Indigenous Peoples around the world have lived in harmony with nature for millennia and that their traditional practices and knowledge hold important lessons to guide humanity forward in the collective pursuit of living sustainably and in peace with nature. This highlights the importance of recognising the inextricable link between biodiversity and cultural diversity.  

The conference ended on a high note with the adoption of a permanent subsidiary body and programme of work on Article 8(j) and related provisions. This is an important step forward as Article 8(j) of the UNCBD contains important language on the need to respect, preserve, and maintain the knowledge, innovations, and practices of Indigenous Peoples, echoing the call made by the African Indigenous youth delegation.  The subsidiary body will permanently advise the UNCBD on implementation, scientific, technical, and technological matters. The objective of the new Programme of Work is to ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and that a human rights-based approach is employed by countries in their work implementing Article 8(j) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) adopted in 2022 by Parties to the UNCBD.

It is the hope that through this landmark achievement at COP 16, the challenges highlighted by the African Indigenous youth delegation and other Indigenous representatives will be taken into consideration and addressed in the decision-making under the umbrella of the UNCBD. It is also the hope that through the work of the permanent subsidiary body, the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their land, natural resources, and traditional ways of life will be protected and realised in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).