The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) organized a regional conference on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Biodiversity, and Climate Change from November 5-8, 2023, in Krabi, Thailand. This conference marked the first regional activity under AIPP’s ongoing Transformative Pathways Project.
A key outcome of the conference was the adoption of the E-Sak Ka Ou Declaration. “E-Sak Ka Ou” is a term used by the Urak Lawoi Indigenous Peoples to refer to the place where their ancestors first settled on Lanta Island, Krabi Province, Thailand. It means the gill of the Manta ray.
This powerful declaration amplifies the voices of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Women, Indigenous Youth, and Indigenous Persons with Disabilities from 11 countries. It encapsulates the collective stance ofIndigenous Peoples towards seeking collaborative solutions to the urgent concerns and issues confronting them and the whole of humankind, such as biodiversity, climate, and pollution crises.
Local partners of the Transformative Pathways Project in Thailand and the Philippines have received hard copies of the declaration in Thai and Ilocano languages and have begun using them in their capacity-building and advocacy activities.
The E-Sak Ka Ou Declaration is now available in 12 languages:
- Bahasa (Malaysia)
- Bengali
- Burmese
- English
- Hindi
- Ilocano
- Khmer
- Nepali
- Spanish
- Swahili
- Thai
- Vietnamese
Type: Article
Region: Asia
Country: Thailand, Philippines
Theme: International process; Traditional and local knowledge; Community-led conservation; Land and resource rights; Biodiversity Monitoring
Partner: Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand Association (IMPECT), Pgakenyaw Association for-Sustainable Development (PASD), Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP), Forest Peoples Programme (FPP)
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