For decades Indigenous peoples’ organisations were members as part of the civil society category at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥. But at the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ World Conservation Congress in 2016, the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Members Assembly adopted a landmark decision for indigenous peoples and conservation. Members voted to create a new category of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ membership for Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations (IPO), strengthening the recognition of their rights, participation, voice and role in Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥.Â
As a distinct and mobilised constituency within Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥, IPO Members have can benefit from the self-determined indigenous peoples’ strategy that identifies joint priorities for advancing their rights and issues in conservation and engaging with each other and within Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ moving forward. These priorities focus particularly on leveraging Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥â€™s convening power, knowledge generation, standard setting and policy engagement in regard to indigenous issues.Â