Indigenous People

Multilateralism is vital for addressing global challenges like climate change, yet the outcomes of COP29 in Baku exposed a stark disconnect between high-level policies and grassroots realities. 

Located at the tip of the Philippines, and approximately 118 miles from Taiwan, with almost identical weather, the Ivatans of Batanes have learned to adapt their ways of life while inhabiting the most typhoon-prone islands in the country. 

Thirty Indigenous women and youth representatives from nine countries across Asia gathered at the Regional Conference on a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition held from September 20- 22, 2024. 

Thailand’s indigenous peoples continue to fight for justice and recognition to their longstanding homelands, despite encroachment from the state. But how far can these roads take them and what is the price of fighting for their home?

Microfinance credits are a highly competitive business in Cambodia, expanding their operations among ethnic communities, including the indigenous Brao villages in Ratanakiri province in the northeast region. But ethnic people are now getting heavily indebted and losing their livelihood resources, accelerating land loss and dividing the community.

Cambodia’s laws for preserving indigenous land were enacted over 20 years ago but are increasingly difficult to navigate and achieve official legal recognition for its indigenous peoples. But the more time passes, the more the land has become encroached upon, and the effects of this loss will be compounded.

Besides providing an income to local farmers, promoting the cultivation of Arabica coffee is one of the solutions to forest degradation in highland areas of northern Thailand. The village of Pangkhon in Chiang Rai province has environmentally and economically transformed as part of an initiative to grow coffee, but there are still climate-related challenges to address.