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Newsletter: COP30 Outcomes Report

Key outcomes that matter for Indigenous forest stewardship

FSC IF

The Forest Stewardship Council and the FSC Indigenous Foundation worked together during COP30, collaborating on side events, engagement activities with strategic allies, spaces for dialogue, and other coordination actions to highlight Indigenous priorities and strengthen their participation and advocacy.

COP30 is over, but its impact will be decided in implementation. Today, we break down the outcomes for forests and Indigenous Peoples: what shifted, what to watch, and what it could unlock if finance and policy are delivered with rights, transparency, and Indigenous governance at the center.

Read our COP30 Report!

Highlights of the report:

Forest Finance Breakthroughs: TFFF + Tenure Pledges  

COP30 announced new resources for standing forests and land tenure—implementation and safeguards will determine whether communities benefit.

Key points:

  • Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) in plain language: long-term, results-based payments; early capitalization; commitment share for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
  • Forest and Land Tenure Pledge: donor/philanthropy funding to advance legal recognition, demarcation, governance reforms, and community-led conservation.

  • Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment: country commitments to secure hectares by 2030; why collective tenure matters.

Global Mutirão: From Negotiation to Mass Mobilization  

COP30 elevated Mutirão as a model for collective action. Its impact will depend on whether communities have real control, rights, and resources.

Key points:

  • What is Global Mutirão? Meaning and origins; a framework for collective mobilization beyond formal negotiations.
  • Why it matters for Indigenous Peoples: validates communal stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge; invites Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples into climate action pathways.

  • What success looks like: financing, technical support, recognition of land and tenure rights, respect for Indigenous governance, and protection against extractive pressures.

The Implementation Era: Adaptation, Loss & Damage, Gender—and Who Gets to Decide

COP30 advanced frameworks, but participation, direct access, and rights-based safeguards will determine real impact for communities.

Key points:

  • Adaptation: Global Goal on Adaptation indicators and political signals to scale finance; risks of voluntary/weak indicators and uncertain funding.
  • Loss & Damage: progress on coordination and technical assistance; persistent gaps in rights-based safeguards, direct access for Indigenous Peoples, and governance inclusion.

  • Belém Gender Action Plan (BeGAP): recognition of Indigenous women; success depends on meaningful decision-making power and financing access.

Article 6 & Carbon Markets

International carbon markets are moving into implementation, strong safeguards, FPIC, and tenure security are essential.

Key points:

  • Opportunities: potential resources for forest protection and restoration if designed with strong rights and environmental integrity.
  • Risks: non-permanence, double counting, weak additionality; displacement/injustice without FPIC, tenure security, and fair benefit sharing.

  • Guardrails: FPIC, land rights, Indigenous governance, community-defined benefit sharing, transparency, grievance and remedy.

Matters relating to Finance

Finance remains a decisive factor in turning climate commitments into real action.  

Key points:

  • Loss & Damage Fund: Rapid operational progress; USD 817.01M pledged; 2026 workplan focuses on faster, accessible grants with strong safeguards.
  • GCF improvements: Faster approvals/disbursement, stronger direct access support, inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, better risk management, align with Belém Gender Action Plan.

  • Adaptation Fund & GEF: AF expanding locally led adaptation but short of USD 300M target; GEF exceeded GEF-8 target and delivered 1.85B tCO₂ reductions (by June 2025), urging strong GEF-9 funding and Indigenous/gender safeguards.

FSC-IF Engagement in COP30 Side Events

Side events made rights, tools, standards, and direct finance concrete, and built partnerships for what happens next.

Key points:

  • FSC-IF joined 8 COP30 side events centering Indigenous rights, FPIC, and leadership in forest stewardship and climate action.
  • Called for equitable, direct, predictable climate finance, removing barriers linked to land rights and self-determination.
  • Stressed credible sustainability standards through continuous improvement, grievance/remedy, and capacity building.

  • Highlighted community forest management (with data ownership under FPIC) and Indigenous leadership in wildfire prevention/response/restoration with rapid financing.

If you wish to engage in the UNFCCC, learn more about the Indigenous Peoples Caucus!

Within the UNFCCC process, Indigenous Peoples participate collectively through the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), commonly referred to as the Indigenous Peoples Caucus.

  • It is the official coordination body for Indigenous Peoples participating in UNFCCC sessions, including COP, SB sessions, and related climate negotiations.
  • It brings together representatives from Indigenous organizations, nations, communities, and global/regional networks.
  • Why it exists:
    • To provide a unified voice for Indigenous Peoples in global climate decision-making.
    • To protect Indigenous rights and promote Indigenous-led climate solutions.
    • To track, interpret, and influence negotiation text across agenda items (mitigation, adaptation, finance, Article 6, loss & damage, etc.).

Learn more about the IIPFCC:  https://www.iipfcc.org/

If you are young and want to participate, learn about the International Indigenous Youth Forum on Climate Change here.

Read our COP30 Report
News

COP30 Outcomes Report

Forests, Indigenous Peoples, and Key Advances for Climate Action

FSC IF

This Results Report presents the main advances, challenges, and key messages from COP30 in 2025, in Brazil, related to forests and Indigenous Peoples, and what they mean for territorial rights, governance, and climate action.

We invite you to read the full report to learn about the results, their implications, and the opportunities that are opening up for the upcoming UNFCCC processes.


Read the report here
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Climate Week NYC 2025: From Rights to Partnerships – Working with Indigenous Peoples for Nature

FSC Indigenous Foundation at Climate Week New York 2025

FSC IF
Working with Indigenous Peoples for Nature FSC-IF

We’re heading to New York for Climate Week NYC (September 21–28), joining hundreds of partners and Indigenous leaders to accelerate real, nature-positive climate action. 2025 is a pivotal year on the road to COP30 in Brazil, and this moment helps us build momentum for our joint advocacy for Indigenous-led solutions and funding opportunities.

Our participation at Climate Week in the Nature Hub 

Our participation includes two sessions at the Nature Hub in New York designed to share practical approaches for scaling Indigenous-led climate and biodiversity solutions: 

From Rights to Partnerships: Working with Indigenous Peoples for Nature 

This one-hour dialogue, hosted by the FSC Indigenous Foundation on September 23rd, will challenge the prevailing narrative around Indigenous Peoples’ rights. For years, many international declarations have affirmed these rights, yet implementation often falls short. Our session calls on the private sector, governments, and philanthropic organizations to move beyond symbolic recognition and toward genuine partnerships that uphold rights while tackling the environmental crisis we face. 

We will also examine common barriers that stakeholders encounter when engaging with Indigenous communities, such as navigating diverse cultural and social norms, or knowing who to consult with, amongst other things. Alongside these challenges, we will highlight success stories where partnerships have delivered lasting and sustainable solutions. The discussion will show how collaboration, equitable financing and high-integrity data can drive investment in community-led nature-based solutions. 

Banner From Rights to Partnerships Speakers

From Rights to Partnerships: Partnerships for Success — Corporate/Indigenous Learning Circle 

In this Nature4Climate (N4C) roundtable, we will participate as panelists together with Indigenous leaders, businesses and investors. The conversation will explore how to co-create strategies for conservation and climate resilience that go beyond compliance. It will present funding models, co-governance frameworks and practical examples that demonstrate how companies and Indigenous communities can work together to protect ecosystems, strengthen climate action and build trust-based, enduring partnerships. 

These sessions are delivered in partnership with: 

  • Indigenous Chambers of Commerce 

Our presence at Climate Week NYC is strengthened through our close collaboration with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Together, we are advancing a shared vision: forests and Indigenous Peoples are vital to solving the climate and biodiversity crises. We stand alongside partners who champion sustainable forest management, credible certification systems, and innovative tools such as FSC Verified Impact. 

Through joint efforts at the Nature Hub and coordinated advocacy throughout Climate Week, we’re demonstrating how inclusive governance, trusted data, and high-integrity standards can unlock funding and partnerships that deliver for people, forests, and the planet. 

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FSC Remedy Forum in Jakarta: Reflections on sacred balance between Forests and People

The FSC System Integrity Unit convened the Asia Pacific Remedy Forum in Jakarta, uniting diverse stakeholders to advance understanding of the FSC Remedy Framework.

FSC IF

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – System Integrity Unit hosted the Asia Pacific Remedy Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, bringing together rights holders, Indigenous leaders, NGOs, companies, researchers, and government representatives to deepen understanding and engagement around the FSC Remedy Framework. 

What is the FSC Remedy Framework? 

The FSC Remedy Framework is a standardized system that guides how companies must address past environmental and social harms linked to forest conversion. 

It promotes restoration through social and environmental remedy, ensures transparency in how FSC deals with non-conforming companies, and provides fair roadmaps for remedy. Its ultimate goal is to restore forests and communities, improve the integrity of the FSC certification scheme, and establish measurable conditions for potentially ending disassociation and rebuilding trust. 

A New Chapter for Remedy 

Since its entry into force on July 1, 2023, the FSC Remedy Framework has aimed to address social and environmental harms resulting from forestry operations. Indonesia, as the pilot setting for implementation, provided a vital case study on opportunities and challenges. The Jakarta forum served not only as a platform for consultation but also as a space for healing, dialogue, and reconciliation; highlighting the positive potential of remedy to restore forest ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and provide redress for affected communities. 

Voices from the Forum 

Representing the FSC Indigenous Foundation, Nicholas Mujah (FSC-IF Council Member), Praful Lakra (FSC Permanent Indigenous Peoples Committee PIPC Co-chair, Asia region), Minnie Degawan (FSC-IF Managing Director), and Dian Intarini (Indigenous Peoples Global Manager for Forestry and Certification) actively participated in the Jakarta Remedy Forum, bringing diverse perspectives from leadership, governance, and community engagement.  

During the forum, attendees expressed that if rights are misunderstood, overlooked, or only superficially acknowledged, remedies risk becoming merely symbolic and may reproduce harm rather than repair it. Nicholas underscored this point, reminding participants how critical it is to understand right holders’ rights within the Forest Stewardship system.  

 Furthermore, Praful shared insights from his region, India, stressing the need to integrate Indigenous knowledge into the process and drawing lessons from the remedy of mining there. As Co-Chair of the Permanent Indigenous Peoples Committee (PIPC), Praful’s participation carried particular significance. Together with Marchus Colchester (FSC Board of directors and PIPC Liaison), who also engaged in the forum, their presence highlighted the importance of ensuring Indigenous perspectives are consistently heard in FSC processes. Having PIPC represented at the event created a valuable space for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and reflection that can help strengthen decision-making at the global level. 

From left to right: Praful Lakra (PIPC Co-chair, Asia region), Marchus Colchester (FSC BoD), Nicholas Mujah (FSC-IF Council member), Dian Intarini (Indigenous Peoples Global Manager for Forestry and Certification)
 
From left to right: Isnadi from Riau, Kuspawansyah from East Kalimantan, Nicholas Mujah (FSC-IF Council member) and Minnie Degawan (FSC-IF Managing Director) 

Moreover, Minnie reminded participants that for Indigenous Peoples, remedy is not a checklist of consultations or activities, but about restoring balance and safeguarding relationships: with the land, communities, and the unseen. 

“Forests are our relatives,” she said. “They are the resting places of our ancestors, where we bury our children’s umbilical cords to connect them to Mother Earth. To sustain the forest is to sustain the Earth and the community. Remedy, for us, means restoring that sacred balance.” 

Minnie stressed the need for clearer communication on what the Remedy Framework is, and what it is not. She emphasized that without this clarity, communities risk false expectations and further harm.  

At the heart of her message was the call to reframe Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a process of relationship-building rather than a procedural step, reminding participants that consent is rooted in trust, equity, and mutual understanding.  

Finally, Dian Intarini suggested that remedy actions should be aligned with national policies on community empowerment and land rights, for example Indonesia’s Village Law, to support the long-term sustainability of these actions. 

Key Observations 

Over three days, the agenda moved from exploring solutions for accelerating remedies, to presentations on social and cultural healing in unresolved conflicts, to a closed meeting with rights holders reflecting on their concerns and expectations.  

The forum succeeded in fostering open, constructive dialogue, though it also revealed a disconnect in how stakeholders understood the framework and highlighted tensions between Indigenous Peoples and migrant/transmigrant communities that require sensitive approaches. Amid these dynamics, the FSC Indigenous Foundation emerged as a trusted, neutral facilitator and willing to continually support the process. 

Looking Forward 

As the FSC Remedy Framework continues to take shape, the lessons from the Jakarta forum remind us that remedy must be intentional, inclusive, and rooted in respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and worldviews.  

The work ahead will not be easy, but as Minnie emphasized: “We have survived genocide and colonization by moving thoughtfully and carefully. Let us not rush, but ensure that remedy truly heals.” 

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