WECAN AT UNPFII 2024
WECAN will be on the ground at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York this coming month, April 15-20.
Indigenous women leaders globally 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!
WECAN Events at the UNPFII
In-Person Event: Indigenous Women Upholding Indigenous Rights and Leading Climate Solutions
Indigenous women and youth leaders from around the globe will converge to discuss and uplift the urgent issues facing their communities and our planet. Speakers will discuss and share the impacts of fossil fuels, deforestation, and the climate crisis in their communities and how they are implementing climate solutions, practicing traditional knowledge systems, upholding Indigenous rights, promoting the right to self-determination, and advancing policies and practices of care and climate justice.
Speakers include:
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Dr. Crystal A Cavalier, Ed.D, MPA (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), Co-Founder, 7 Directions of Service, Turtle Island, USA
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Taily Terena (Terena Nation), Indigenous rights activist, Environmental Health Program Consultant for the International Indian Treaty Council, WECAN Coordinator, Brazil
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Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador and WECAN Board Member, Turtle Island, USA
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Olivia Bisa Tirko (Chapra Nation), President of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation
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President Whitney Gravelle (Bay Mills Indian Community), President and Executive Council Bay Mills Indian Community, Turtle Island/USA
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Majo Andrade Cerda (Kichwa), from the Kichwa People of Serena, Leader of Economy and community development of CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon)
Shirley Krenak (Krenak), Founder of the Shirley Djukurna Krenak Institute, Co-founder of ANMIGA, Brazil
Luzbeidy Monterrosa (Wayuu), Filmmaker and Founder of Shinyak Kashikai, Colombia -
With moderation by Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), USA
Virtual Event: Indigenous Youth Leading Solutions for Climate Justice
During this virtual event, young Indigenous women leaders from around the world will gather to share their strategies and solutions for addressing fossil fuel extraction, deforestation and the climate crisis. Drawing upon Indigenous knowledge, panelists will discuss efforts to defend Indigenous rights, champion self-determination, and promote climate justice and care for the Earth. Let’s take action to support young women globally who are fighting for their future and imagining a different world!
Confirmed Speakers, with more to be announced soon:
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Pema Wangmo Lama (Mugum), Program Coordinator, National Indigenous Women's Federation (NIWF), Nepal
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Morgan Brings Plenty (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), Environmental Justice Activist, Digital Organizing Fellow, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Turtle Island/USA
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Judy Kipkenda (Ogiek), Founder of Koibatek Ogiek Women and Youth Network (KOWYN), Kenya
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Sheelah Bearfoot (Chiricahua Apache), Environmental Justice Advocate, MHS, Turtle Island/USA
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Elle Rávdná Näkkäläjärvi (Sámi), Member of the Norwegian Sámi Association’s Youth Committee, Norway
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With moderation by Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), USA
In-Person Book Event: The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis
Join WECAN founder and author Osprey Orielle Lake for an evening of transformative discussion with Indigenous leaders Taily Terena (Terena Nation) and Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), and a special presentation of Osprey’s new book The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice can Remake a World in Crisis. The event is hosted by Patagonia.
Live Broadcast: Public Release of the Escazú Agreement Toolkits for Women Land Defenders and Frontline Communities
During this live broadcast event on Facebook and YouTube, WECAN will be releasing a set of toolkits on the Escazu Agreement for women land defenders and frontline communities. During the broadcast speakers from Latin America and the Caribbean will highlight the challenges women and frontline communities are facing to protect their territories, and the implications and opportunities presented in the Escazú Agreement, a historic multilateral treaty that focuses on the rights and participation of land defenders. The release of the toolkits and live broadcast is coinciding with the Escazu COP3 taking place April 22 - 22, 2024.
Collaborative Events at the UNPFII
Protect the Water Protectors
Rally featuring Standing Rock Youth Council
When:
Tuesday, April 16 at 4:30pm EDT
Where:
Meet Up Point: Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
(47th Street & United Nations Plaza)
Nodapl is a global Indigenous led movement protecting Land and Water from the fossil fuel industries that encroach on indigenous sovereignty.
From the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Youth Council:
"We as the future need clean drinking water. We continue to uphold the Fort laramie Treaties designed to protect our livelihood as long as the river flow and grass is green. Shutting Down DAPL is just one step in making amends for the warfare tactics enacted by the governing systems that have made us marginalized in our homelands."
WECAN is honored to support the collective organizing for this action, please join us in calling for the protection of water protectors and demanding a shut down of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
Indigenous Leadership in the Rights of Nature Movement
Organized by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) with the support of WECAN. Speakers include GARN Indigenous Council Chairwoman, Casey Camp-Horinek. More speakers to be added. WECAN is honored to serve on the Executive Committee for GARN.
