BAY AREA, Calif., April 28, 2016 – Indigenous women of the world stand on the frontline of intensifying climate change impacts, and are vital solution bearers and leaders of efforts to restore justice and health to our communities and the Earth.

 

On the occasion of the 2016 United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Indigenous women leaders of North and South America will convene to make their stories, demands and solutions heard by the public, media and government representativesat a vital parallel event, ‘Indigenous Women of the Americas Protecting Mother Earth: Struggles and Climate Change Solutions’, to be co-hosted by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Amazon Watch andthe Indigenous Environmental Network on May 12, 2016 from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Church Center for the United Nations, New York City.

 

Speakers including Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation Leader, Oklahoma, USA), Kandi Mossett (By Skype-Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Native Energy & Climate Campaign Organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, North Dakota, USA), Gloria Ushigua (to be confirmed - President of the Association of Sapara Women, Amazon of Ecuador), Crystal Lameman (Beaver Lake Cree Nation Treaty Coordinator and Communications Manager, Alberta, Canada) and Aura Tegria Cristancho (Asou'Wa Legal Advisor, U'wa leader, Colombia) will speak out against the environmentally and socially destructive activities and policies threatening their homelands, and present the visions and strategies with which they are working to shape an equitable, thriving future for generations to come.

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Their diverse struggles and solutions will be contextualized within a frame of rapid climate change, health issues, biologic and cultural diversity loss, and destructive economic frameworks, demonstrating exactly why honoring Indigenous rights and knowledge is so essential for the survival and prosperity of us all. Additional comments will be shared by Leo Cerda (Amazon Watch) and Osprey Orielle Lake (WECAN).

 

“From the Alberta tar sands in Canada and the Amazon of Ecuador, to the fracking fields of the North Dakota and Oklahoma plains, Indigenous women are standing up to protect our water, air, forests and soil from the damages of the fossil fuel industry and continuing threats of colonization, economic inequality and social injustice,” explained Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, “They refuse to allow for the perpetuation of violence against women and the Earth. They are making connections, building community power, and showing us that another path is possible. We must stand with the defenders of the land, listen to and amplify the voices of strong Indigenous women leaders, and implement their vital strategies and solutions immediately. Through forums such as this, wecan change the narrative and build the world we seek.”

 

‘Indigenous Women of the Americas Protecting Mother Earth: Struggles and Climate Change Solutions’ is free and open to the public, and will be held Thursday May 12, 2016 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Church Center of the United Nations, 10th floor 777 United Nations Plaza #8g, New York, NY 10017. Registration required.