World Parks Congress

The Dana Declaration was promoted at Indigenous Peoples' meetings in Durban, prior to and during the formal IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC) sessions. See reports below for more details:

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Representatives of many Mobile Peoples attending the World Parks Congress in Durban united in supporting the Dana Declaration, and campaigned strongly to defend their cultural and livelihood rights, and to develop further respect for their traditional environmental protection knowledge and experience.

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The World Parks Congress (WPC) represents the single most important platform for the promotion of the Dana Declaration. The congress set out future priorities related to protected areas policy in the coming decade. These priorities were incorporated into an Action Plan suggesting the practical measures that need to be taken to realize this mission.

 

A cross-cutting 'Theme on Indigenous and Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas' (TILCEPA) was established by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN Commission on Economy, Environments and Social Policy. TILCEPA proposed four areas for recommendations to be carried forward including one on the issue of Mobile Peoples and Protected Areas, discussed at various themes throughout the conference.

 

Funds were granted for a two-day preparatory workshop (6th to 7th September) for around 20 representatives of nomadic, transhumant and other Mobile Peoples to plan their participation and inputs to the Congress, share the required information and organize activities and networking during the event. They presented a collective contribution towards an effective Plan of Action for Mobile Peoples and Protected Areas representing a coherent, action-oriented follow-up to the Dana Declaration.

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The Mobile Indigenous Peoples participants then participated in the IUCN World Parks Congress Workshop on Linkages in the Landscape on September 11th and the Workshop on Mobile Peoples and Conservation on September 12th covering issues including Community Conserved Areas, Co-managed protected areas and development of an Action Plan for Mobile Peoples.