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In project management, monitoring and evaluation, the ‘impact’ of initiatives describes the changes that happen which allow other parties to put ideas, policy relevant information or toolkits into application. The 2021 evaluation of LINKS has demonstrated a significant impact on global policy instruments and global agendas. UNESCO does not achieve this by itself, but it aims to be catalytic and work through partnerships and multiple evidence-based interventions to show what is possible and desirable when working with Indigenous and local knowledge systems.

As a result of supporting community-led research and participatory methods, transdisciplinary dialogue, evolving of appropriate methodologies, and providing platforms for the sharing of evidence, approaches and innovations, UNESCO LINKS has been able to support a steady change whereby international, regional and national processes have progressively taken cognizance of Indigenous and local knowledge systems.

For the last two decades, the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge has been debated in numerous international spaces, contributing to an important shift in the relationship between science and other systems of knowledge. UNESCO, through its LINKS programme, has been influential in ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and their knowledge systems, are heard in numerous international fora on issues such as biodiversity assessment and management (IPBES, UNCBD), climate change assessment and adaptation (IPCC, UNFCCC), sustainable development (2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development GOals (SDGs), UNDAF, UNSDCF), and various other mechanisms in collaboration with the national, regional and international scientific organizations, funds and programmes.

Recognition of Indigenous and local knowledge in contemporary science-policy-society processes has spread beyond issues of intellectual property to biodiversity and ecosystems, impact assessment, natural disaster preparedness, food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation. In a current context of accelerating environmental, socio-economic and political change, Indigenous Peoples and local communities continue to engage with scientists and policy-makers through innovative action that promote recognition and complementarity of knowledge, and increasingly provide opportunities for joint action by scientists, local communities and Indigenous Peoples to equitably co-produce new knowledge to inform innovative solutions in the face of emerging challenges.

• Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples continues to be a priority for the UN and the international community
• There is an explicit commitment to Indigenous issues from UNESCO’s senior management and Member States, translating into adequate resource allocation
• LINKS continues to leverage UNESCO’s strong convening power around the issue of Indigenous knowledge
• LINKS is able to maintain and nurture trust relationships with Indigenous Peoples communities
• LINKS continue to be recognized as a hub of expertise on Indigenous and local knowledge
• LINKS is able to mobilize sufficient resources to implement field level projects
• The knowledge products developed by the Programme reach relevant UNESCO and UN colleagues, practitioners and research communities

LINKS is built on the idea that for science (in this case environment) policy and decision-making to be relevant and address local priorities and needs, it must be aware of how the local peoples experience, understand and interpret environmental phenomena on the ground.

With the above guiding principle, LINKS has an overall objective to promote and contribute to: environment policy and decision-making based on best available knowledge, including Indigenous and local knowledge, as well as needs of rights-holders, including IPLCs. To achieve this goal, the Programme has identified four intermediary milestones to contribute to this, including: 

• mobilizing the transdisciplinary knowledge base, 
• creating spaces for inclusive dialogue to analyse, design, monitor and respond to key indicators for sustainable environmental management and adaptation, 
• establishing regional and inter-regional networks to facilitate the exchange of best practices, tools and lessons learned, and 
• advocating for better recognition by scientists and policymakers of Indigenous and local knowledge and the role of IPLCs, at national level, as key environmental partners and knowledge holders