Tohmle Statement

This statement was developed at the 4th Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA) Conference on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Biodiversity, and Climate Change, held on October 1-4, 2024, in Pokhara, Nepal 

Asia is a region of high biological and cultural diversity, where Indigenous Peoples, play a vital role in conserving and managing their land, territories, waters and resources. They have been doing this since time immemorial and as such, are permanent partners and leaders in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

A year ago, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives in Asia issued the E-Sak Ka Ou Declaration – a statement of their collective call for collaborative solutions to address the urgent concerns and issues confronting us and the planet. The declaration is translated into 12 languages and is featured on 11 websites, including the Transformative Pathways website. 

This October, 65 Indigenous Peoples leaders from 10 Asian countries gathered in Pokhara, Nepal, representing 36 global, regional, national, and local organizations, including representatives of elders, women, youth, persons with disability, media, lawyers, development agencies and funders.

Together, they reaffirmed their commitment to do their part in addressing the pressing issues related to their land, territories and waters, Indigenous governance and knowledge systems. This commitment will be carried forward through the implementation of the Pokhara Action Plan – a collective strategy on biodiversity and climate change formulated by the participants of the 4th Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA) Conference on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Biodiversity, and Climate Change, held in Pokhara, Nepal from 1-4 October 2024. 

The logos of the delegates who developed the statement.