Razan Al Mubarak with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Photo: Cop28
Razan Al Mubarak with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Photo: Cop28
Razan Al Mubarak with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Photo: Cop28
Razan Al Mubarak with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Photo: Cop28

Cop28 presidency to ensure indigenous voices are heard at global talks


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The Cop28 presidency has set out plans to ensure indigenous communities will have their voices heard at November's crucial climate talks.

Key measures will include financial support to allow elders to attend the global summit in Dubai, as well as subsidised accommodation for 150 delegates and translation services.

The Cop28 team will also fund a report centred on direct access to finance for indigenous people undertaking climate action.

The announcement was made by Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Cop28, who underlined the importance of making this year's conference accessible for all sections of society.

“Indigenous Peoples are one of the nine official constituencies – organisations which have the status of observers – in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,” said Ms Al Mubarak.

“Still, their valuable perspectives remain underrepresented in multilateral climate processes, and they receive a very small share of the international funding for climate action.”

The Cop28 presidency and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions team have been engaging with indigenous people organisations throughout the year.

“One recurring theme in the discussions has been the need for greater inclusion of indigenous people in the negotiations process,” said Ms Al Mubarak, who is also president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“This is far more than a moral imperative. We simply won’t be able to solve the climate crisis without authentically incorporating the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and other traditionally underrepresented groups such as women and youth."

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, co-ordinator of the Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad and co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, said the initiatives “represent progress towards the inclusion and recognition of the rights and knowledge of indigenous communities, especially for Cop28".

“Indigenous peoples can bring concrete solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, and their voice needs to be heard,” said Ms Ibrahim.

“I hope that Cop28 will lead to concrete results for climate action and support to those who are on the front line of climate change.”

Indigenous people are the first inhabitants of an area, such as those living in the Amazon rainforest.

Such communities are often the first to bear the brunt of climate change due to their proximity to nature and its resources.

The Cop28 team on Wednesday that the "long-recognised practices" of such communities "play a crucial role in addressing the climate and biodiversity challenge".

The underscores the importance of their voices being heard, it added.

Cop28 will be held at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

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Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)

Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

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Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Updated: September 27, 2023, 3:10 PM`