UN Climate Change News, 7 August 2026 - As climate change intensifies, the world needs solutions that are effective, equitable and enduring. Indigenous Peoples offer living knowledge systems, values and worldviews that have sustained the well-being of people and nature for generations and continue to evolve as the climate changes.
The 2026 theme of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, "Honoring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being," recognizes Indigenous midwives as knowledge holders who connect health, culture, spirituality, land and the continuity of Indigenous Peoples. Their work reflects a broader understanding of well-being, in which life is sustained through relationships among people, communities, nature, ancestors and future generations.
Kinship as a foundation for collective well-being
"Balance is the secret of our resilience because we are one with our lands, territories, and natural resources. Our health and well-being are nourished by this intrinsic relationship, which summarizes our spirituality," said Amina Amharech, an Indigenous knowledge holder from Africa, at the Fifth LCIPP Annual Gathering of Knowledge Holders at COP 30 last year.
For many Indigenous Peoples, kinship extends beyond human relationships to responsibilities towards lands, waters, animals, ancestors and future generations. The well-being of one is inseparable from the well-being of all.
This understanding shapes Indigenous approaches to climate action. Nature is not treated solely as a resource, but approached through reciprocity, responsibility and care. Communities that have long observed and responded to environmental change carry generations of adaptive knowledge that can strengthen climate action globally.
Among Māori in New Zealand, for example, whenua means both land and placenta, expressing the bond between human life and Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. In the Yamalo-Nenets region, well-being is sustained through relationships between people, reindeer, tundra and rivers. Across different contexts, these worldviews affirm that caring for life also means caring for the lands and ecosystems that sustain it.
Living knowledge systems for climate resilience
"Cultural continuity sustains ecological knowledge. Rituals, oral traditions, and festivals preserve environmental memory, teaching restraint, reverence, and the rhythms of nature," said Khesheli Chishi, an Indigenous knowledge holder from Asia, at the Fifth LCIPP Annual Gathering of Knowledge Holders at COP 30.
Indigenous knowledge systems are sometimes mistaken for something fixed in the past. In reality, they are living and continually evolving. They are carried through languages, ceremonies, oral traditions, daily practices and close observation of nature.
Among Maasai communities in Tanzania, elders teach youth to read the land, manage grazing and protect water sources. Songs, ceremonies and storytelling reinforce cultural identities while helping youth respond to climate change. In Canada, Labrador Inuit are applying their knowledge through Imappivut, a community-led marine planning initiative that strengthens stewardship, well-being, cultural continuity and connection to the marine environment.
Climate resilience is often framed through technology, finance and infrastructure. Indigenous Peoples remind us that resilience is also rooted in relationships: balance with the land, the transmission of knowledge, collective responsibility and care across generations.
Engage with the LCIPP
Recognizing the value of these living knowledge systems, the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) provides a dedicated space under the UNFCCC process for Indigenous Peoples, local communities and countries to exchange knowledge, strengthen capacity and integrate diverse knowledge systems into climate policies and actions.
You can contribute by:
- Sharing your views on the impact of the work under the LCIPP and helping to shape its next workplan (2028-2031) through the call for submissions. Find the guide here.
- Sharing your stories, lived experiences and work through the LCIPP Community Board and the LCIPP Resource Hub.
- Finding out more about opportunities to engage on the LCIPP web portal.
In addition to the LCIPP, Indigenous Peoples' organizations can engage in the UNFCCC process through the Indigenous Peoples Organizations Constituency, by contributing to the Global Climate Action Agenda and the Marrakech Partnership, as well as through a range of other participation opportunities across the UNFCCC process.
"Across the UNFCCC process, Parties have recognised the rights, values, and knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples. But too often, these words have not translated into lived experience. Our task is to move from citation to application - ensuring that Indigenous worldviews and leadership help shape how climate action is designed, implemented, and measured," said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, addressing the COP30 Presidency Dialogue with Indigenous Peoples at COP30.
By honoring Indigenous midwives and the living knowledge systems they carry, we honor relationships that safeguard life itself. These relationships are essential to building climate resilience grounded in dignity, collective well-being and intergenerational responsibility.
