RAOEN Coordinator Pedro Walpole SJ shared about the urgent need to recognize and affirm Indigenous Peoples, to give voice to their lived realities, and to defend their ancestral lands during the workshop, From Commitment to Action: Localising COP30 Outcomes, in Kochi, Kerala, India from 28 to 29 January 2026, organized by the FABC Office of Human Development-Climate Change Desk (OHD-CCD).
Indigenous wisdom and native knowledge must form the foundation of climate responses, Fr Walpole said, particularly in promoting integral ecology and natural agricultural practices. He also stressed the importance of re-rooting COP processes in local contexts, ensuring that global climate negotiations remain grounded in the realities of communities most affected by environmental degradation.
There is also the need to include youth in this journey and help them discover hope through a strong sense of identity while ensure an education on their roles in shaping a just and sustainable future.
The FABC OHD-CCD meeting report From Commitment to Action: Localising COP30 Outcomes is available here.