News of Note 10/24/25: Suriname Updates FPIC Protocol, Tribes Call for US to Reinstate CDFI Fund, Record Indigenous Accreditation for COP30
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Indigenous Communities and the Government renew commitment through FPIC protocol [Suriname] (United Nations Development Programme)
”Representatives of the Indigenous communities and its umbrella organization Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname (VIDS) held a historic ceremony at the National Parliament of Suriname and presented the updated Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocol [...] ‘Today we are writing history together. This protocol is not just paper, but a manifesto of respect, justice, and partnership. It is born from our communities, nourished by our traditions, and inspired by our ancestors,’ said VIDS Chairperson Muriël Fernandes. According to her, the document is the result of years of consultations in the villages of the Wayana, Kaliña, and Lokono, and other Indigenous peoples spread across Suriname.”
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Calls on U.S. Government to Reinstate CDFI Fund and Staff (Underscore Native News)
“On Oct. 10 the Trump administration terminated the entire staff of the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which provides critical capital to 69 Native-certified lenders serving tribal communities nationwide, including the Pacific Northwest. [...] According to Dave Tovey, president of the Affiliated Tribes Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation and enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the loss of CDFI funding could be detrimental to the economy of Indian Country in the Pacific Northwest. ‘We still have a financing need,’ Tovey said. ‘People have to have some means to finance a business or a home that’s not by otherwise conventional means that might not be available to them anyway.’”
Will COP30 Finally Prioritize Indigenous Voices? (Inside Climate News)
”For the first time, more than 1,000 accredited representatives of these groups [leaders of Indigenous and Afro-descendant] will have access to the so-called Blue Zone, the primary venue for U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. Keepers of ancient knowledge are preparing to reshape the global conversation on climate rights and justice, said frontline leaders of climate action in Africa, Asia and Latin America.”
Spotlight
“Across the globe, Indigenous women stand at the frontlines of the energy transition as defenders of their lands and waters and visionaries shaping alternative pathways rooted in balance, reciprocity and care. From the lithium-rich salt flats of the Andes to the nickel mines of Indonesia, they are confronting extractive practices driving the so-called “green economy.” Drawing from ancestral knowledge systems and lived experience, Indigenous women are not only leading through resistance, but also guiding communities toward models of energy and food sovereignty that restore ecosystems, strengthen cultural identity and ensure that future generations inherit a livable planet.” –Galina Angarova and Daniela De León, Voices from the land: Indigenous women and the path to a just energy transition (commentary), Mongabay
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COP30 and the just transition: Centring communities in Latin America’s energy future (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)
Indigenous guardians successfully keep extractives out of Ecuador’s Amazon forests (Mongabay)
Upholding injustice in Hasdeo — a blow to tribal survival, biodiversity, and the greater good (Down to Earth)
Indigenous groups sidelined in Indonesia’s climate efforts (Asia News Network)
Guatemala: Six months of injustice and criminalization against Indigenous representatives from Totonicapán (Amnesty International)
National Institute of Indigenous Peoples & Afro-Mexican Communities Agree on Comprehensive, Just Development Path (Mexico Solidarity Media)
Canada: marine refuge a milestone for Indigenous-led conservation (Oceanographic Magazine)
Canada: Sentencing of land defenders sends ‘chilling message’ about Indigenous rights (Amnesty International)
‘Going to get tougher’: Tribes grapple with ongoing government shutdown (ICT News)
Trump administration finalizes plan to open pristine Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling (Associated Press)
Michigan Tribes Tell Supreme Court: Don’t Bail Out Enbridge (Native News Online)
New Resource: The Tribal Guide to Implementing FPIC in the Context of Conservation and Development (Native American Rights Fund and CU Law)
Want to go to the UN’s biggest gathering of Indigenous peoples? Here’s how. (Grist)