The IP & LC-AC was created to provide advice and guidance throughout the development and implementation of the High Ambition Fund (HAF) Programme. The IP & LC-AC currently provides advice on the ongoing process of developing and designing both an IP & LC Grant Window and the overall HAF Programme, to help ensure that the unique rights, interests and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are acknowledged, affirmed and implemented. The mandate of the Committee is to provide the HAF Programme with non-political advice reflecting the interests and concerns of Indigenous Peoples and local communities for the development of an IP & LC Grant Window and the overarching HAF Programme design, IP & LC policy, and guidance. The IP & LC-AC also advises on approaches for collaboration and engagement with Indigenous peoples on policy and guidance products. The Committee is designed to ensure the full participation and engagement of IP & LC and the equitable sharing of benefits with IP & LC. Members of the IP & LC-AC were recruited through a broad, transparent, and open process of solicitation for nominations.
Diel is a Pygmy Batwa Bambuti from North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. He holds a degree in International Relations and is a former scholarship holder of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Diel works to defend the rights of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and is an active member of the Integrated Program for the Development of the Pygmy People - PIDP/SHIRIKA LA BAMBUTI, where he holds the position of Provincial Director for North Kivu. Diel has completed a training course and one-year internship dedicated to Indigenous Peoples at the Indigenous Peoples’ Centre for Documentation, Research and Information (DOCIP) in Genevea, Switzerland. Through DOCIP, Diel is involved in advocacy for the legal recognition of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and campaigning for the securing of land and territorial rights of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples, while fighting against the criminalization of defenders of the rights of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2018 Diel was appointed by the UN Secretary General as an Expert for the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. He served as both an Honorary Member and President, with his presidential term ending in 2023.
Edith is an Indigenous woman from the town of Los Pastos, located in Nariño, Colombia. By training, she is a lawyer, specializing in Constitutional and Parliamentary Law. Edith holds a Master’s in Political Studies and is currently a PhD Candidate in Law. She has held different positions in the public and private sector, related to Indigenous Peoples, and has been monitoring environmental issues, biodiversity, climate change, protected areas, traditional knowledge and intellectual property for 20 years. She coordinated the traditional knowledge chapter of the National Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services using IPBES methodology. She is a member of the Indigenous Women's Network on Biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Gwasinlo is a member of the Rengma Naga Tribe in the remote Northeast of India. He works as a rural farmer and village conservationist and has served as the Chairman of the Sendenyu Village Community Biodiversity & Wildlife Conservation Board since its inception in 2000. Gwasinlo is also the Chief Wildlife Warden of Sendenyu Village, an advisor to the Nagaland Community Conservation Area Forum (NCCAF), a member of the Tseminyu Green District Initiative, and a former member of the Nagaland State Biodiversity Board.
Lino is an Indigenous leader of the Uchupiamona Nation, located in the heart of the Amazon jungle of the Madidi National Park, in the San José de Uchupiamonas Indigenous Village and Territory, La Paz, Bolivia. In his trajectory as an Indigenous leader, Lino has served as vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Chalalan Eco Lodge, vice-president of the Bolivian Network of Community Social Tusoco Network, and Co-Founder of the Santa Rosa del Madidi Eco Lodge. Lino is currently a final year student of Public Accounting at the Bolivian Technological University (Universidad Tecnológica Boliviana) and is currently Vice President of the Central de Indigenous Peoples of La Paz (CPILAP), which represents twelve Indigenous Territories in the Department of La Paz, Bolivia.
Paul is an Indigenous conservation leader from the Indigenous Pastoralist Tribe of Turkana, emanating from Northern Kenya. He holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Protection and Sustainability, Bachelor of Arts in Community Development, and Post graduate Certificates in Ecology and Sustainability (Environment & Development). Paul is a founder and Executive Director of Save Beisa Oryx IP & LC Community Initiative (SBOC) and a founder of three Community Conservancies in Northern Kenya, including Nakuprat-Gotu Community Conservancy. He is a professed researcher in applied ecological evolution and sustainable large scale biodiversity conservation. He is also an expert in climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience and community-led threatened species conservation and recovery. Paul is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, IUCN SSC Antelope Special Group, Northern Pastoralist Caucus for Indigenous Communities, Community Conservation Society of Northern Kenya and Kenya Association for Fundraising.
Vatosoa is a passionate advocate for small-scale fishers. With six years as the National Coordinator of MIHARI - Madagascar’s Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) Network, and her election as President of the board in 2020, Vatosoa has tirelessly advocated for the rights of Madagascar’s coastal communities. Her dedication was recognized with the prestigious Whitley Award in 2019, highlighting her success in empowering small-scale fishers and fostering exchange between communities to enhance resource management. In 2022, she co-founded BEOLOBE, Madagascar’s pioneering locally driven trust fund, uniting marine and terrestrial conservation initiatives to prioritize the well-being of Indigenous and local communities. Currently leading the IUCN’s blue planet pillar, Vatosoa serves as the organization's champion for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, spearheading the design of the first ocean fund tailored to their needs.
The IP & LC Grant Window will be designed to support IP & LC efforts to secure legal recognition of land tenure, resource rights and access as part of the HAF Programme. The IP & LC Grant Window will be constructed as a hybrid of a network of national sub-windows, supported by a global, centralized coordination and management unit, in addition to an overall governing board. The IP & LC Grant Window will be designed fit-for-purpose and will be tailored to the specific requirements and context in each HAF country. The IP & LC Grant Window will be supported by the Technical Assistance Facility to ensure sufficient pre-investment and post-investment capacity and the right types of support, as determined by the local IP & LC themselves, rather than being prescribed externally.
WCS has built a network of Indigenous advisors who are global advocates and have been active in advising WCS on the formation of the IP & LC-Advisory Committee, including guidance on a transparent process and broad circulation to encourage participation, the broader HAF Programme approach and the design of the IP & LC Grant Window. Their work has and will continue to help ensure that the unique rights, interests and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are acknowledged, affirmed and implemented as part of the HAF Programme. Their individual and collective expertise at the global level will play a significant role in shaping the HAF Programme.