COP17 Grants Indigenous Communities Full Decision‑Making Role in Biodiversity Treaty

At the 2026 U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Armenia, delegates approved the full operationalization of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) (SB8J), a mechanism created at the 2024 summit to give Indigenous peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) a formal voice in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The body will allow IP&LCs to advise parties, draft decision texts and develop guidelines for implementing global conservation goals, ensuring that their rights and knowledge shape the treaty’s implementation. Jennifer Corpuz of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity welcomed the decision as a historic step toward rights‑based implementation. Negotiations focused on the body’s functions, governance, budget and meeting schedule, with a key dispute over who should represent IP&LCs. Delegates debated whether representation should come from the five U.N. regional groups or the seven sociocultural regions that reflect Indigenous diversity. The decision marks the first time that Indigenous and local voices will be formally integrated into CBD decision‑making, potentially reshaping how conservation policies are drafted and applied worldwide.