Indigenous Women of North and South to Speak for Climate Justice and Solutions During UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

 

http://bit.ly/1e3iCuh

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 25, 2016 – Indigenous women of the world stand on the frontline of intensifying climate change impacts, and are vital solution bearers and leaders of efforts to restore justice and health to our communities and the Earth.

 

On the occasion of the 2016 United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Indigenous women leaders of North and South America will convene to make their stories, demands and solutions heard by the public, media and government representatives at a vital parallel event, ‘Indigenous Women of the Americas Protecting Mother Earth: Struggles and Climate Change Solutions’, to be co-hosted by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Amazon Watch, Land Is Life and the Indigenous Environmental Network on May 12, 2016 from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Church Center for the United Nations, New York City.

 

Speakers including Alicia Cahuilla (Vice President of the Waorani Nationality, Amazon of Ecuador), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation Leader, WECAN Special Projects Advisor and Advisory Council Member, Oklahoma, USA), Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Native Energy & Climate Campaign Organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, North Dakota, USA), Gloria Ushigua (President of the Association of Sapara Women, Amazon of Ecuador), Aura Tegria Cristancho (Asou’Wa Legal Advisor, U’wa leader, Colombia) and Crystal Lameman (to be confirmed – Beaver Lake Cree Nation Treaty Coordinator and Communications Manager, Alberta, Canada) will speak out against the environmentally and socially destructive activities and policies threatening their homelands, and present the visions and strategies with which they are working to shape an equitable, thriving future for generations to come.

 

Their diverse struggles and solutions will be contextualized within a frame of rapid climate change, health issues, biologic and cultural diversity loss, and destructive economic frameworks, demonstrating exactly why honoring Indigenous rights and knowledge is so essential for the survival and prosperity of us all.

 

«From the Alberta tar sands and the Amazon of Ecuador, to the fracking fields of the North Dakota and Oklahoma plains, Indigenous women are standing up to protect our water, air, and soil from the damages of the fossil fuel industry and continuing threats of colonization, economic inequality and social injustice,» explained Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, «They refuse to allow for the perpetuation of violence against women and the Earth. They are making connections, building community power, and showing us that another path is possible. We must stand with the defenders of the land, listen to and amplify the voices of strong Indigenous women leaders, and implement their vital strategies and solutions immediately. Through forums such as this, we can change the narrative and build the world we seek.»

 

‘Indigenous Women of the Americas Protecting Mother Earth: Struggles and Climate Change Solutions’ is free and open to the public, and will be held Thursday May 12, 2016 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Church Center of the United Nations, 10th floor 777 United Nations Plaza #8g, New York, NY 10017. Registration required.

 

Diverse spokeswomen are available to engage at anytime, please direct all media requests to emily@wecaninternational.org

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