Participants included WCPA Steering Committee members, ICCROM, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, specialists in monitoring, biodiversity conservation, cultural landscapes and sacred site conservation and social policy specialists.

TILCEPA’s input concentrated on the rights of indigenous peoples and strengthening of the governance component of natural and mixed World Heritage Sites. Recommendations include promoting awareness of IUCN resources on the rights of indigenous peoples; a human rights based approach to conservation, providing resources on good governance of Protected Areas, and more attention to the relationship between culture and nature in the review of the sites.

TILCEPA is offering to work with IUCN on providing voluntary expert advice to help State Parties understand their obligations, norms and standards with regards to rights-holders and governance platforms. The meeting emphasised the need for earlier intervention in the design of WH sites, before sites get to the nomination stage. The emphasis is on promoting public consultations and cooperative design of bids. UNESCO and IUCN both agreed that the participation of indigenous peoples and NGOs in the World Heritage Committee meetings can help hold the UN and state parties accountable for existing norms and standards. A full report is due to be released.

CEESP bids on 2014 World Parks Congress Stream

CEESP has prepared a bid proposal to host Stream 6 of the VIth World Parks Congress. WPC happens every ten years and is one of the most influential global forums on conservation. In 2003, CEESP members made a major contribution to the WPC in defining a rights-based approach to conservation, the need for equity and rights in the design and implementation of Protected Areas, and highlighted the importance of good governance. These elements were introduced into the UN CBD’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas.

The VIth WPC will be in Sydney, Australia in 2014. CEESP has bid to coordinate an interactive platform between conservationists, policy makers, private sector industry and the traditional owners and custodians of territories, including those that are part of the Protected Areas and World Heritage systems. Stream 6 has been defined by CEESP as Broadening Participation: Rights, Governance and an Equitable Social Compact. The final decision on Stream leaders will be taken by 8 April 2013.

TILCEPA is working with the World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference which will take place in Darwin, Australia, 26 – 29 May 2013. WIN will be an opportunity for indigenous and local landscape and seascape managers and traditional owners to meet, and will provide a platform for the global indigenous peoples’ movement to define its priorities in relation to the IUCN’s World Parks Congress.
See: www.worldindigenousnetwork.net/win-conference-darwin-2013

CEESP at COP18 of Climate negotiations in Doha, Qatar

TILCEPA’s Chair, Nigel Crawhall, represented WCPA and CEESP as part of the IUCN’s delegation to the UNFCCC climate negotiations in Doha, Qatar, 26 Nov to 7 December 2012. Crawhall worked with other IUCN climate specialists to develop a coherent approach to linking science and social policy issues at the UNFCCC.
TILCEPA helped convene workshops with indigenous peoples on the application of Traditional Knowledge in climate adaptation, and a series of meetings of religious and faith leaders to strengthen their understanding and coordinate their impact on the ethics of climate negotiations. The faith leaders have produced a zero draft document to help mobilise inter-religious cooperation ahead of COP19 in Warsaw, Poland.

IUCN also worked with Arab civil society to organise gender activists at UNFCCC and supported a series of lunchtime events on ‘Al Hima’, the Arab system of traditional Protected Areas and conservation. The lunchtime sessions, called Hikma Hour (‘wisdom’ in Arabic), involved a series of regionally focused workshops on culture and nature. Reports available from TILCEPA’s Chair. An integrated IUCN report is also available.
See: http://www.spnl.org/cop18cmp8-president-debate-highlights-the-hima-system/

TILCEPA update

Since the World Conservation Congress in September 2012, TILCEPA has been able to appoint most of the Chairs for its Specialist Groups. Sudeep Jana Thing (Nepal) and Colleen Corrigan (UK) are heading the Specialist Group on Protected Areas Governance, Social Assessment and World Heritage. Elaine Hsiao (Canada) and Will Tuladhar-Douglas (Nepal /USA) are heading the Mountain Connectivity and Protected Areas in Mountainous territories Social Policy Specialist Group. Imen Meliane (Algeria / USA) is chairing the Marine Protected Areas, Locally Managed Marine Areas Social Policy Specialist Group. A youth co-Chair is due to be appointed for the Marine group. Each team is formed with an inter-generational partnership and draws from different regions of the World. TILCEPA’s focus is on preparations for indigenous peoples and local communities’ participation and impact on the VIth World Parks Congress in 2014 as well as working with the

World Indigenous Network conference in Australia in 2013. TILCEPA is also cooperating with the WCPA Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas Specialist Group on the promotion of international policy on Sacred Natural Sites and the rights of traditional owners and custodians. TILCEPA runs a public forum on LinkedIn as well as the specialist group list servs.

The Global Protected Areas programme, in cooperation with the ICCA Consortium and GIZ will be launching new resource materials this year on Protected Areas Governance.