By Maya Lazzaro (Quechua, CS Staff)

By CS Staff

From October 5–8, 2026, Cultural Survival staff joined the fourth biennial National Tribal Infrastructure Coordination Conference (NTICC) in Reno, Nevada, under the powerful theme, “Honoring Our Knowledges, Healing Our Mother Earth.” As a proud sponsor, Cultural Survival was honored to support this space where Indigenous Knowledge, community leadership, and collective action flourished, connections were made, and resilience was strengthened. 

Seventeenth meeting of the UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,  Yerevan, Armenia, 19–30 October 2026

Agenda Item 1.

This statement is submitted to UN CBD COP17 on behalf of Cultural Survival, an Indigenous-led organization. 

We request that the Parties pay attention to and support the following set of issues regarding Indigenous Peoples.

From October 19 to October 30, 2026, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP17) is happening in Yerevan, Armenia. 

By Pastoralist Peoples Initiative

For decades, Rendille and Gabbra communities in Kargi and Kalacha in Marsabit County, northern Kenya, have raised concerns about the environmental and health impacts of historical oil exploration activities in the area.

By Georges Theodore Dougnon (Dogon, CS Staff) 

Across Indigenous communities, young leaders are creating opportunities that connect sustainable livelihoods with the protection of their lands, cultures, and knowledge. With support from Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellowship, Louivenzia Komases (Nama) in Namibia and Mommon Makko (Maasai) in Tanzania are putting this vision into practice.

Louivenzia Komases (Nama) from Namibia

By Dave Favreau (CS Staff)

Culture is not a costume, a wellness brand, or an aesthetic for corporations to exploit. Yet every day, deeply rooted Indigenous spiritual and community traditions are routinely stripped of their meaning, mass-produced by non-Indigenous corporations and sold for profit. This act is a form of cultural appropriation, which cuts off Indigenous creators from their own livelihoods and trivializes sacred histories. 

Brazil will arrive at COP31 after an election that strengthened political forces historically opposed to Indigenous territorial rights. What does this mean for forests, biodiversity, critical minerals, and Brazil`s international climate leadership for Indigenous perspectives?

By Edson Krenak (Krenak, CS Staff)

From COP30 to COP31: Waking up to a Different Political Landscape 

On August 10, 2026, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia, with the departments of Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Chocó, and Caldas among the hardest hit. Indigenous Peoples are among those most affected and now face an even more complex emergency.