INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Celebrating the leaders at the forefront of the climate movement
Yadira Ocaguaje is an influential Indigenous leader in her Ecuadorian community. In fact, she is recognized as a key spokesperson for the defense of the Siekopai culture and territory and she stress the importance of Indigenous women as guardian of ancestral knowledge, culture, and nature. As a Conservation International Amazonia Indigenous Women’s Fellow, Yadira works with her people to keep the ancestral knowledge and traditions of her people alive. To do so, she led the creation of the women-led Keñao Association, which revalues the Siekopai’s knowledge and culture through ceramics.
Women around the world, and particularly Indigenous women, are closely connected to their natural environment. Women around the world, and particularly Indigenous women, are closely connected to their natural environment. In Africa, for example, women produce nearly 90% of food on the continent and can spend up to five hours a day collecting water and firewood. Likewise, in major fish-producing countries, nearly half of all women are engaged in the small-scale fisheries sector. And worldwide, women rely on gathering forest products for supplemental household food and materials for income generation.
Despite this close connection and associated ecological knowledge, women are too often left out of decision-making about, and management of, environmental resources that impact them – at the local, national and international scales. This is especially true of Indigenous women who face a number of barriers including social norms, time constraints, educational levels, racial discrimination, and high rates of poverty.
While there are certainly examples of strong Indigenous female leadership in climate resilience, there remains an overall large gap in participation and decision-making at all levels. This can lead to inequitable policies and initiatives at the local, national and international levels and can inhibit the success of climate and conservation efforts and continue to disadvantage Indigenous women. Emerging women leaders need the financial and technical resources, relevant mentoring and learning opportunities, and exposure to leadership opportunities, to make their contributions heard. To help address this critical need, Conservation International is proud to partner with these incredible local leaders in the climate movement.
