In commemoration of International Mother Earth Day, UNPO hosted a webinar titled “Peoples and the Planet: Self-Governance, Land Rights, and Climate Justice”, held on 22 April 2025. The event brought together speakers from the Kabylia, Western Togoland, South Moluccas, and Ahwazi Arab communities, highlighting how climate change and environmental injustice are threatening the survival and sovereignty of unrepresented and Indigenous peoples.
Moderated by Mourad Amellal, a representative of the Kabyle people and part of the UNPO Presidency, the discussion centered around the deep connections between land, identity, and traditional governance. Mr. Amellal described how the Kabyle, an Indigenous North African people colonized by Algeria, have long resisted state efforts to weaken their spiritual and physical ties to the land. He outlined how Algerian authorities have implemented policies such as forced displacement and restrictions on agriculture to undermine the Kabyle people’s autonomy. He emphasized that for the Kabyle, land is considered sacred, and reclaiming the right to steward it is inseparable from the struggle for dignity and survival. Mr. Amellal also noted that the term “Africa” originated from the Kabyle language, meaning “the land.”
The conversation expanded into a broader reflection on how environmental injustice is weaponized against stateless and marginalized communities. Speakers pointed to how states and corporations use the pretext of climate change to push forward destructive agendas, from diverting water away from Kabyle territories to allowing wildfires to spread unchecked as a means to depopulate land, or draining marshlands in Ahwaz to facilitate oil extraction.
Francis Janssen, speaking on behalf of the South Moluccas, described the environmental damage caused by Indonesia’s continued occupation. He noted that forests and oceans are essential to the community’s way of life, and that for generations, they have practiced traditional systems and local agreements to pause land use and allow nature to recover. He shared that these traditional practices continue to play a key role in conservation efforts and resistance to exploitation.
Representing Western Togoland, George Korbla Nyakpo stressed that Indigenous and unrepresented communities often possess the traditional knowledge necessary to safeguard the environment. He highlighted how such communities have developed local systems to manage forests and rivers sustainably, but without political recognition, they are denied the power to lead environmental policy in their own territories.
Mona Silavi, an Ahwazi Arabs representative, spoke about how Iranian state policies have led to the depletion of natural resources in minority regions. Ms. Silavi highlighted how decades of resource extraction, particularly oil and gas, have resulted in widespread environmental degradation, displacement, and impoverishment. Ms. Silavi emphasized that those with a close connection to the land, like the Ahwazi people, are among the most affected by environmental injustice, and must be included in the fight to protect the planet.
Across all testimonies, a shared message emerged: despite having contributed the least to global climate change, unrepresented and Indigenous communities bear some of its heaviest burdens. And yet, they are routinely excluded from climate decision-making spaces, and even criminalized for protecting their lands.
This webinar was the second in UNPO’s 2025 Webinar Series, part of its broader Sustainable Empowerment Initiative. By amplifying the voices of unrepresented peoples, UNPO aims to reframe sustainability as a matter of justice and sovereignty.
