Direct grants to Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples and local communities are critical actors in the global fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. Managing approximately 25 percent of the world's land, they safeguard a significant portion of Earth's biodiversity and carbon reserves. Notably, they steward about 36 percent of the planet's intact forests, which are crucial for carbon sequestration and ecological balance. Given their unparalleled expertise to steward forests and protect ecosystems, rooted in generations of traditional knowledge, their leadership is essential to ensure that solutions to fight climate change and biodiversity loss are locally relevant, culturally informed and inherently sustainable.

As such, the heart of climate action and biodiversity conservation lies in prioritizing the rights and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as leaders and architects of solutions. The international community has made commitments to support their efforts directly. At COP26, nations including the UK, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA, along with 17 other funders, pledged US$1.7 billion to strengthen the initiatives and actions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to prevent deforestation and contribute to climate solutions. An important aspect of this funding was ensuring that financial resources reach these communities directly and that they have a decisive voice in shaping climate programmes and financial mechanisms. While financial support is essential, it should be seen as a means to enable Indigenous Peoples and local communities to drive their own initiatives, amplify their voices and reinforce their sovereignty over their territories.

Photo: UNDP Peru

UNDP is committed to facilitating direct access to climate finance for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. By promoting social equity and recognizing their rights and traditional knowledge, UNDP ensures that forest-based climate solutions meaningfully contribute to national climate commitments and advance sustainable development goals. This commitment underscores the need to place Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the front and center of national climate and nature solutions, scaling them up and linking them to national policy frameworks including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

Building on decades of experience supporting local sustainable development solutions, UNDP is also supporting Indigenous climate leadership through direct grants. Since 2023, with funding from the UK Government, UNDP has provided 51 grants to 42 Indigenous communities in Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya and Cambodia with grants worth a total of $1.8 million to enhance climate resilience and safeguard critical ecosystems.

Unlike traditional funding models that may impose external agendas, this approach provides Indigenous Peoples and local communities with the autonomy to identify their priorities, design and implement solutions rooted in their cultural and environmental knowledge. By investing in Indigenous and local climate action directly, UNDP aims to foster innovation, resilience and biodiversity conservation while respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights and sovereignty. Direct grants build trust, strengthen partnerships and support sustainable climate leadership, ensuring that those most connected to the land can protect it for future generations. Supporting the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities ensures a more sustainable and equitable future for all.