On the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 9 August 2022, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), has issued a Statement on this year’s theme: the role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge.
This year’s theme, she said, speaks directly to the Convention and to the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Indigenous women have long been caretakers of the variety of life on the planet. Their intimate knowledge of the natural world has allowed indigenous peoples to live in harmony with nature over generations. They continue to pass down cultural values, knowledge, and information about their local ecosystems to future generations. Indeed, as key preservers and transmitters of traditional knowledge, indigenous women play a vital role in their community. Traditional knowledge offers an invaluable asset to stop biodiversity loss. This knowledge will be needed as the international community comes together to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the upcoming COP-15 running from December 7 through to 19, 2022, the CBD Executive Secretary added.
Without the full participation, engagement and commitment of indigenous women, efforts to attain a sustainable future cannot reach their full potential. As we commemorate this International Day, let us redouble our efforts to ensure that indigenous women and their role in transmitting and maintaining traditional knowledge are fully recognized, reminding us that we are all part of same Mother Earth, she concluded.