Indigenous Voices at U.N. Desertification COP: Bringing Knowledge from Territories Across the Globe

Ahead of COP17, the World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners (WUISP) held a Fire Ceremony, inviting other members of the Wayfinders Circle, Nia Tero and the Pawanka Fund to join.

“We prayed to the spirits of our ancestors, to the Eternal Blue Sky and Mother Earth,” recalled Erjen Khamaganova (Buryat-Mongol, Mongolia), who helped coordinate the Ceremony. “Through the sacred flames, we received guidance on renewal and resilience. This ceremony grounded us, centered our spirits.”

López also attended the Fire Ceremony and emphasized the significance of being welcomed into this space, as well as the trust and relationships that made participation possible. For her, the ceremony carried a message that is often missing from technical and policy discussions.

“Indigenous spirituality matters and is key in the application of the three Rio Conventions,” she said.

A Wayfinders Circle side event, with partners including WUISP, brought together Indigenous pastoralists from around the world. Moderated by Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Mbororo, Chad), Chair of the Indigenous Peoples Forum to Combat Desertification, the panel presented Indigenous Peoples’ pastoralism not simply as a challenge to address, but as a source of knowledge and a potential approach to addressing environmental challenges. Panelists included:

• Molu Kulu Galgallo (Gabbra People, Northern Kenya)
• Ali Gufu Ibrae (Gabbra People, Northern Kenya)
• Tunga Bhadra Rai, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities
• Chhewang Gurung, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities
• Sonia Astahuaman (Quechua, Peru), Indigenous spiritual leader, Andean Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations
• Sultan Sarygulov (Kyrgyz People, Kyrgyzstan) World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners
• Bazar Losol (Mongolian elder) World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners

López and Kamaganova also offered remarks alongside Kāwika Riley of Nia Tero (Kanaka ʻŌiwi, Hawai’i), Chief Communications and Engagement Officer and Dr. Hussein Isack (Gabbra of Northern Kenya), representing the Pawanka Fund.

“For Indigenous Peoples, land is more than the ground beneath our feet. It is our home, history, memory, spirituality and identity. It carries the footprints of our ancestors and, we hope, those generations yet to come,” Isack told attendees. “We are part of nature. Living in harmony with Mother Earth means understanding that our wellbeing depends upon the wellbeing of the entire living landscape.”

He added, “For pastoralists, this relationship is expressed through mobility. Our elders learned to read the grasses, water, winds and seasons - to know when to graze, when to move and when the land needs to rest. … We let nature do the healing.”

Nia Tero held a side event during COP17 to formally launch the new report "Beyond Fragmentation: Advancing Coherence, Equity, and Indigenous Leadership Across the Rio Conventions." The report examines Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the Rio Conventions: the UNCCD, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Indigenous Peoples have long understood that these three crises – desertification, climate and biodiversity – are interconnected, and raised concerns about the inefficiency of a fragmented approach to this single, planetary challenge. The report offers recommendations for strengthening coherence, engagement and Indigenous leadership in shaping the conventions’ outcomes.

The Wayfinders Circle held exclusive previews of their film co-produced with the Gabbra People of Kenya at two UNCCD events. Members of the Gabbra community were in attendance. The documentary short film, "Worr Gaala: The Gabbra,” centers on a young camel herder whose village must navigate the changing climate to survive and thrive.

The Wayfinders Circle series of award-winning documentary short films spotlights stories of Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral guardianship in the territories of some of its members. Learn more here.

The Ulaanbaatar Declaration 2026, adopted by pastoralists and Indigenous Peoples at COP17, calls for recognition of Indigenous Peoples and pastoralists as guardians and rights-holders of their ancestral lands and resources. Key takeaways include:

• Land, climate and biodiversity: Protect land and resource rights, prevent land degradation and land grabbing, and oppose exclusionary conservation. Recognize and legally protect Indigenous and traditional territories and community-based guardianship.
• Indigenous knowledge: Recognize Indigenous knowledge as vital to biodiversity, ecosystems and food systems and ensure it is respected alongside western science.
• Indigenous participation: Ensure full participation in decision-making, including equitable access to finance, resources and representation.
• Equity and justice: Protect rights defenders from criminalization and violence and increase direct funding for Indigenous-led land restoration, climate resilience and sustainable development.
• Women and youth: Recognize Indigenous women and youth as leaders in shaping resilient and sustainable futures.

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Dr. Albert Barume expressed support for the Declaration on social media:

“The adoption of the Ulaanbaatar Declaration is not an end point but a beginning and an opportunity for governments and the international community to recognize that when pastoralist Indigenous Peoples’ rights are secured, our global biodiversity and food systems thrive.”