About
Their territories cover an AREA the size of the united states, canada, and russia combined, and are home to most of the earth's biodiversity and nearly half of its remaining intact ecosystems. They maintain the cultural heritage of humanity, communicating in 95% of the world's languages. Indigenous peoples' intricate knowledge of their homelands holds an unparalleled guide for ALL of humanity. Increased CO2 emissions and the aggressive exploitation of lands, waters, and oceans threaten ALL of us. Indigenous peoples' wisdom and leadership CAN guide humanity's efforts to coexist with the natural world. When indigenous peoples thrive, the places critical for humanity thrive as well. We understand guardianship as indigenous peoples' right, capacity, and acceptance of responsibility to sustain vital natural systems within their collective territories. This mission supports our vision of an earth where indigenous peoples defend and uphold the world's thriving forests, oceans and grasslands; where their wisdom maintains vast geographies that underpin the well-being of ALL humanity; and where recognition and support for indigenous identity equals that of nation states and others in power. NIA TERO acknowledges that societies grounded in the concept of reciprocity and interconnection among ALL beings show the way to a thriving planet. With that understanding, NIA TERO, its networks, its partners, and its allies aspire to expand recognition of, and support for, indigenous guardianship as essential to a vibrant future earth. Over the next decade, NIA TERO's strategy is focused on two interrelated aspirations that contribute to indigenous guardianship of ancestral territory enabled everywhere possible on earth. NIA TERO is working to uphold a network of place-anchored partnerships with indigenous peoples in key regions who care for territories with an outsized impact on the well-being of humanity and earth. Alongside this, we are engaging partners within and beyond this network to expand recognition and support for indigenous guardianship worldwide. Aspiration 1: uphold a network of partnerships with indigenous peoples to uphold a network of place-anchored partnerships in key regions, NIA TERO is committed to working alongside indigenous peoples in geographies central to the well-being of ALL humanity. Our initial regions include the pacific islands, amazonia, and north america, where we work with indigenous peoples who share a collective territory and have strong governance systems in place to protect their homelands and waters. By hearing and working with indigenous leaders, we ensure their vision guides development of sound local, national and global policies. NIA TERO's contribution to upholding these partnerships is focused on two general bodies of work. First, we provide support to indigenous peoples efforts to secure guardianship of territory through grant-making, convening, facilitation, fundraising and direct technical support to assist self-determined governance, cultural vitality, direct territorial defense, legal and financial representation, and in building strong organizations. And second, with similar issues and needs in mind, we provide support to strengthen indigenous organizations and networks across regions. In addition to our growing network of partners in regions, we also are partnering on an initiative called the wayfinders circle, a fellowship of 12 initial members from across seven socio-cultural regions with a willingness and capacity to share their vision and experiences to inspire ALL people to RE-imagine development, conservation and the way we relate to each other and earth. The wayfinders circle includes 12 initial members from across the seven social-cultural regions of earth defined by indigenous peoples with plans to grow the circle in coming years. The wayfinders circle initiative is a part of our network of partnerships but also directly bridges into our second aspiration for positive impact and change. Aspiration 2: expand recognition and support for indigenous guardianship worldwide to achieve this aspiration, NIA TERO is pursuing three ongoing bodies of work that integrate both our place-anchored partnerships as well as indigenous peoples, and aligned organizations, networks and initiatives, outside of those partnerships. First, through grantmaking, convening and direct technical support to indigenous peoples and their chosen allies, we provide support to strengthen policy frameworks, security and self-governance of indigenous peoples. Second, through strategic convening and facilitation, as well as targeted grantmaking and fundraising, we are working to increase direct financing for indigenous guardianship. And lastly, through compelling storytelling and communications, we support the elevation of voice, ways and means of indigenous peoples to increase awareness of indigenous guardianship and inspire change. These bodies of work manifest across our grantmaking, programs and convenings. To secure and amplify our partnerships, NIA TERO is investing in key actions that support global policy essential to the security of indigenous guardianship, cultural continuity and spirituality among our partners, ecosystem and social monitoring systems, and mechanisms to secure durable support for indigenous guardianship. Our effort has been to train indigenous negotiators, to give them the resources to attend key policy FORA and to CO-design with these indigenous partners, the visualization tools needed to convince the policy frameworks to acknowledge, engage, and support indigenous partners in addressing biodiversity and climate solutions. Additionally, NIA TERO supports efforts to reduce and END the criminalization of indigenous peoples in our three priority regions. We invest in storytelling to amplify the importance of equitable partnership with indigenous peoples as a way of addressing some of the great socio-environmental/cultural challenges of our time. In 2022 we advanced the development of our storytelling strategy and identified three priorities: 1. Supporting indigenous storytellers 2. Investing in partnerships that elevate visibility of indigenous stories and storytellers in our place-based regions and globally 3. Investing in platforms to accelerate and EASE access to production facilities for indigenous storytellers
In care of LISA DEAN
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