TELEGRAF – This week, more than 190 countries will participate in the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP CBD 16) in Cali, Colombia. This activity will bring together various parties, including governments, observing organizations, indigenous peoples, businesses, youth groups, civil society, and academics.
Mufti Barri, Executive Director of Forest Watch Indonesia, emphasized that the conference is very relevant to Indonesia, which has very high biodiversity. Biodiversity includes not only animals and plants, but also humans, including indigenous peoples who are also part of the ecosystem itself.
“This COP is very important to show who is actually the guardian of biodiversity on this earth. Also to ensure life in harmony with nature. The slightest natural disturbance will have a significant impact on human life, because humans are actually part of the ecosystem. For example, the COVID-19 outbreak that has attacked us, occurred due to disruption of the ecosystem and food chain. Until then it raises and spreads a new virus and has a huge impact on human life, “said Mufti.
Regarding the role of young people, Life of Pachamama (an organization formed by a group of young people in Colombia, which is the organizer of COP16 CBD), held a solidarity program at COP16 CBD. The organization said it was a dynamic platform to integrate experiences and mobilize young leaders on critical biodiversity issues. They emphasized the importance of young people from the Global South participating in the dialogue on climate justice from their regions and communities, while encouraging cooperation and solidarity.
Jose Fernando Palacio (COP16 Strategy Co-leader) and Juan David Amaya (Associate Director) from Life of Pachamama explained that the young Indonesian delegates were selected based on a number of considerations. For example, fair representation was sought from all regions of Indonesia, with special attention to areas most affected by climate change and identified biodiversity hotspots.
In addition, delegates must demonstrate active involvement in climate justice groups at the local, national or international level.
Jose and Juan emphasized that each delegate has an important role to play at COP16.
In addition to participating in a number of key panels, they will also have the space to interact directly with global decision-makers. This is crucial to ensure that the voices of the most affected communities and regions are considered in biodiversity discussions.
“We hope these young delegates see themselves not just as observers, but as transformative actors. Hopefully this experience will strengthen their capacity to influence policy in the future, and that they will return to their communities with the tools and knowledge to enable them to continue fighting for a more equitable and sustainable future.”
Who are the 6 young Indonesian delegates who will join the fight for the earth? Let’s get to know them!
F. Deliana Winki : Founder and teacher of Arus Kualan Indigenous School
Modern challenges, such as globalization, pose a risk of losing cultural identity. Young Dayak Simpakng children are likely to be exposed to outside influences that can undermine traditional knowledge.
“At Sekolah Adat Arus Kualan, everyone can be a teacher, and nature is our classroom. There is no domination, and all individuals are equal. The school aims to bring Dayak children together, especially to enable them to return to traditional values, learn traditional knowledge and local wisdom, instill a strong sense of identity in the younger Dayak generation, and emphasize the importance of growing up as Dayak people in the modern era,” says Deli, who in 2014 founded the school with another indigenous woman named Plorentina Dessy Elma Thyana.
The school, which has four branches, has brought many changes. One of them is reviving traditional knowledge that has been forgotten and eroded by the times. By utilizing technology and social media, the school documents the knowledge of elders passed down orally through documentary films, writing and research. “In addition, the children’s confidence in their culture has also increased. Previously, they did not dare to appear in public and talk about their culture,” says Deli.
Deli also advocates for environmental issues, education, and the rights of youth and indigenous people. Uniquely, one of the main media she uses to convey positive messages is a traditional musical instrument typical of the Dayak tribe called sape’.
“Sape’ music has great power, as it represents the natural sounds of Kalimantan, flowing with harmony that reflects the close relationship between the Dayak indigenous people and their nature and environment. Through the melodies and strains of the sape’, I can voice my concerns about the deforestation of Kalimantan’s forests, the loss of indigenous peoples’ rights, and the threat to the rich culture of the Dayak people,” says Deli.
Andi Reza Zulkarnain : Co-chair of UNICEF East Asia and Pacific (EAPRO) Young People Action Team (YPAT)
Reza believes that the most neglected children’s rights are quality education, equitable health services, and the impact of climate change. According to him, these three issues are interconnected and often create conditions that are detrimental to children. Lack of access to education, obstruction of health, and the adverse effects of climate change can affect the future of future generations.
“Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach. I believe the best solution is to involve young people as equal partners in every decision-making process. Young people’s opinions and perspectives are often ignored, even though we are the generation that will feel the direct impact of these decisions,” said Reza.
One of Reza’s key initiatives is the training of the Youth Advocacy Guide, an advocacy guide for youth, which aims to provide tools for young people to be more effective in voicing issues that occur in their neighborhoods. “We want to ensure that young people are not only seen as recipients of policies, but also as actors who play an active role in formulating long-term solutions.”
Another initiative she initiated is involvement in UNICEF Indonesia’s Youth Circle program. The program is designed to support out-of-school youth through 21st century skills education and disaster mitigation. Not only does the program help participants to return to formal education, it also provides them with skills relevant to future challenges, including the ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“For me, fighting for children’s rights is not just about engaging in advocacy in big spaces or being part of big programs. It’s also about small actions that have a big impact,” said Reza.
Novita Ayu Matoneng Oilsana : Founder of BALENTA Community
The issues that become the focus of BALENTA Community activities are the fulfillment of children’s rights, adolescent reproductive health, and mental health. “Because children are among the most affected when a disaster occurs. Therefore, we focus on providing psychosocial assistance and trauma healing to children,” said Novita.
The community started when Novita and her friends were involved as volunteers to provide the same assistance to children affected by the Seroja tropical cyclone for about 2 months. At that time, they opened donations on social media accounts and also distributed aid to several disaster locations, while playing and learning with the children there.
Novita said, although the BALENTA community is currently in transition, she and several friends in Alor are still actively conducting education and campaigns as facilitators and speakers at several activities held by churches, as well as child development centers and schools. “We strive to provide an understanding of issues and disaster mitigation according to our capacity and ability,” he said.
In terms of environmental and social issues, according to Novita, the challenge is that they are not seen as sexy issues by young people. “They know and understand but are not interested in getting too involved, because it is very risky, especially for those who work in government agencies or plan to become part of the agency.”
Undeterred, Novita and her team campaigned on social media, branding their movement and work, and collaborated with church youth, mosque youth and a number of grassroots communities to multiply and expand the BALENTA action movement. “We realize that we cannot voice this issue alone,” said Novita.
Salma Zakiyah : Program Officer of MADANI Berkelanjutan
MADANI Berkelanjutan is an organization that pioneers collaboration across sectors and actors for action to save the climate through improved governance of natural resources, especially forests and land. Salma believes that so far, discussions about mitigation and adaptation actions have always been carried out separately. As if massive emission reduction efforts can be separated from efforts to create community resilience.
“This view often further excludes vulnerable communities from discussions related to efforts to overcome the climate crisis and actually increases the vulnerability of vulnerable communities themselves. Therefore, MADANI and other organizations are trying to advocate the importance of starting from accommodating the specific needs of vulnerable communities first, which will indirectly reduce emissions as well,” Salma said.
She pointed out that one of the government programs to overcome the food crisis caused by climate change is the development of food estates. This program often increases the vulnerability of the community. “We encourage the importance of recognition, not only of customary territories that have been managed by the community, but also recognition of land management knowledge, seed selection from indigenous peoples to create food security.”
For Salma, one of the most challenging tasks is to be one of the main drivers in bridging more than 60 NGOs to jointly provide input to Indonesia’s climate commitment document, so that it is based on the principles of climate justice, including accommodating the specific needs of vulnerable groups.
“The main challenge in building that collaboration is to be a facilitator for the different views and ideologies of NGOs and how to accommodate each of those different views, so that NGOs in Indonesia can come out with a common view of climate justice, what they want to achieve,” Salma said.
Raja Mulkan Azhari : Aceh Natural Environment Forest Foundation (HAkA) Campaigner
Sumatra’s 2.6 million hectare Leuser Ecosystem (KEL) is the last place in the world where four key species (Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant and Sumatran rhino) coexist in the wild. Sadly, these four species are now classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered.
Leuser is not only home to rich biodiversity, it is also one of the world’s lungs that maintains the global climate. It is the lifeblood of 5 million people in Aceh and North Sumatra, providing clean water and fresh air. This area is not only Indonesia’s national asset, but also a world heritage that must be protected.
According to Raja, KEL faces major threats, including deforestation, land concessions, mining, illegal logging, wildlife poaching and trade, and habitat fragmentation. “We urge the government through campaigning and advocacy work to take firm action against perpetrators of forestry and wildlife crimes, and increase effective law enforcement efforts. In addition, we raise public awareness regarding the importance of KEL’s role and protection efforts,” said Raja.
Not only advocacy, Raja also encouraged the inclusion of local content in the curriculum on environmental education and KEL for high schools and vocational schools in Aceh Province and has been published by the Aceh Education Office. Raja and his team also fostered collaboration by conducting training, field visits and socializing to more than 900 high school teachers across Aceh. Interestingly, they also organized a competition for students to generate critical thinking on environmental issues.
To further attract the younger generation, Raja designed the creative campaign Bu-Moe Fest to oppose poaching and illegal wildlife trade through festival art activities. In this activity, he collaborated with more than 40 youth communities, journalists, NGOs, and student organizations.
Naomi Waisimon : Social Entrepreneur
Starting from the Menoken Movement in the Mamta customary area, Jayapura Regency, Naomi was active and learned to understand community-based economic development, especially indigenous peoples and local communities. A philosophy is raised in the Menoken Movement, namely the philosophy of noken, which contains the value of flexibility which means flexibility, mercy which means love, and kinship. The Menoken Movement has three focuses of activity, namely planting, restoring land and water, and developing Indigenous Community-Owned Enterprises (BUMMA).
Naomi believes that environmental problems will arise along with economic problems. That is why the Menoken movement not only seeks to restore environmental sustainability, but also seeks to develop the community’s economy.
“Economic demands due to the times and lifestyle changes result in increased economic needs. When selling garden or game products cannot cover the needs, then the offer of land conversion with certain compensation will be chosen by some members of the indigenous community.”
He also found problems in financial literacy. When assisting the development of BUMMA, he found that many of the root causes of problems stemmed from a lack of accounting skills. “Many indigenous communities have not been able to convert their communal land, forest and river assets into assets that can provide long-term livelihoods. If these assets are maintained and managed wisely, they can be more profitable than massive management in a short period of time,” said Naomi, who also develops noken, a traditional Papuan bag made from wood fiber, with a group of Noken ladies in Namblong.
Naomi is also aggressively promoting ecotourism in Papua with Isyo Hills and BUMMA Namblong, precisely in the Nimbokrang and Nimboran districts of Jayapura Regency. The ecotourism is in the form of birdwatching and wildlife tours to observe typical Papuan birds and other endemic animals, such as tree kangaroos, butterflies, soa-soa, and kus-kus. “We are preparing river activities, such as kayaking with bamboo rafts and water sports, such as standing paddle boards.”
