27 November 2015: The conference addressing ‘Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty: Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change,’ which convened in advance of the Paris Climate Change Conference, discussed indigenous peoples’ knowledge of climate change, as well as their responses to its impacts.

Organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the French National Museum of Natural History and Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education), with support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others, the conference consisted of a pre-conference public lecture on ‘Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change’ at Musée de l’Homme on 25 November 2015, and two conference days from 26-27 November 2015. The conference included plenaries, parallel sessions and keynotes by experts from indigenous peoples, national governments and scientists, among others.

The conference aimed to: create a transdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and experiences among indigenous peoples, governments and scientists; understand how diverse knowledge systems, including indigenous knowledge systems, can reinforce the climate change knowledge base; highlight practical community-based solutions and initiatives to address the impacts of climate change; and reinforce the links between cultural diversity and sustainability of the global environment.

Conference themes featured: observing and understanding the impacts of climate change; adapting traditional livelihoods in the face of uncertainty; mitigation and indigenous peoples’ responses; strategies for resilience; and understanding and responding to extreme events and disasters. Conference outcomes are due to be disseminated at the Paris Climate Change Conference. [Resilience in a Time of Uncertainty: Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Conference Webpage] [IISD RS Sources]