Indigenous people’s rights are crucial for climate justice

Photo by Gerardo Cárdenas (Courtesy of Yanisbeth González Robinson)

Activist Yanisbeth González Robinson shares why we should reflect Indigenous people’s perspectives in climate solutions.

We are seeing more effects of climate change around the world. Many people across countries have complained about intense heat waves in the summer of 2023, with July being the hottest month according to NASA. There is a rise in heat-related deaths worldwide, with more than 200 people dead in Mexico alone due to heat. Disasters like wildfires are also becoming more widespread, polluting many atmospheres and devastating vulnerable communities. In Hawaii, a wildfire swept over Maui and thousands of buildings were destroyed. More than 106 people died and many families have been displaced from their homes and communities. As climate change disasters continue to devastate many places around the world, people living in coastal areas and other locations more vulnerable to climate change disasters are experiencing the impacts of climate change at worse rates.

For Yanisbeth González Robinson's community in the Gunayala region in Panama, the reality of climate change is apparent daily. “The islands that make up the archipelago are suffering from rising sea levels, so some communities have had to move to land, leading to a lack of space in the community and affecting the living environment and traditional practices that have been passed from generation to generation,” Yanisbeth shares. “Rivers have dried up and there is a loss of fertile land for planting. [As a result,] the agricultural calendar has changed, affecting production and food security. Strong waves have made part of some islands in communities disappear, and the decline in the fishing of certain crustaceans like lobster, crab [and] octopus directly affects the economy of the Guna family.”

Climate justice is critical not just for Yanisbeth’s community’s safety but also for her culture’s survival. “Climate change for indigenous peoples is the alteration of the balance between Mother Earth and humans based on the consequences of our actions,” the environmental activist shares. “Nature is a daily part of us; the ancestral connection we have with the landscape is vital for our people. It is our home.”

Yanisbeth’s passion for Indigenous people to be represented in climate policy discussions fuels her work as a young leader. She ensures that the diversity of Indigenous people is reflected in policies designed to protect communities impacted by climate change. “When we talk about solutions to climate change, it is not only implementing adaptation and mitigation projects, since the reality is different for various Indigenous peoples,” she says.

As the co-founder of ANYAR, Yanisbeth collaborates with her team, “developing and executing projects to have the necessary tools to face the environmental problems related to climate change, rescue ancestral practices through the use of new technologies and work together with relevant actors and stakeholders to harmonize methodological approaches in risk management and climate change.” She also works on projects that promote the recovery of indigenous people’s cultural identity and teaching of the mother language, Dulegaya, to children of the Guna tribe through different activities. 

I had the pleasure of learning from Yanisbeth about the importance of centering Indigenous communities and ancestral knowledge when creating solutions to the climate crisis. 

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Chisom Onyekwere (CO): What inspired you to focus more on issues affecting women and youth in indigenous communities? How does climate change affect the problems they face?

Yanisbeth González (YG): My inspiration goes back to my childhood — the sea, sounds of the Gammu, maracas, colorful molas, flavors and smells — and living with my mother, grandmother and the women who are part of me.

From a very young age, they told me stories about the struggles of my ancestors. Day after day, I learned more about love for Mother Earth and how we are travelers of life. Therefore, I have been interested in knowing the realities that afflict our communities. For example, as Indigenous people, we are the most affected by industrialized countries. I have also been interested in learning about the people who fight for the preservation and conservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the rescue of ancestral practices and protection of the forests. 

(CO): As the cofounder of ANYAR, how is your work with indigenous women, young people and people most affected by climate change?

(YG): ANYAR means “for our territories” in the language of the Gunadule people. ANYAR fights to promote and defend Indigenous peoples’ rights with emphasis on gender, climate change, women’s empowerment, environmental education and community justice.

We carry out workshops on recycling and conservation of ecosystems for children and adolescents from different communities. We work to strengthen local capacities and in turn encourage young people who are working in agricultural production to participate in socially acceptable ways, create seed banks and not rely on emergency food supplies. In turn, we carried out a preservation project and used ancestral knowledge of traditional medicine aimed at young people and Indigenous women in the community of Mandiyala in Gunayala.

“This program focuses on sharing knowledge, questioning existing structures and strengthening the role of each person in their community.” (Photo courtesy of Yanisbeth González Robinson)

(CO): Tell us about your work at the Mesoamerican School of Leadership of the AMPB (Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques). What are the problems faced by indigenous youth? What does this program do to address these issues?

(YG): The Mesoamerican School of Leadership is a training program for young indigenous and forest leaders aimed at values and skills that amplify the role they play in their communities. Training sessions are carried out on various topics and in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica.

A problem that young people face is the lack of access to new technologies, indigenous-centred education, decision-making spaces within communities, internal migration, climate change, consumption of illicit substances, lack of inclusive projects, loss of mother tongue and external appropriations in territories. 

Through the Mesoamerican School of Leadership, we have implemented our own model of education with tools to continue developing technical and political capacities, which allows for strengthening leadership, managing resources and new technologies and formulating proposals. Our models also apply political advocacy techniques related to communication, negotiation and conflict resolution.

This program focuses on sharing knowledge, questioning existing structures and strengthening the role of each person in their community. This allows each organization and territory to be responsible for organizing and conducting their respective training processes. This is how a brighter future and present is built in which young people participate in processes for political advocacy and territorial governance.

“My greatest achievement is leading young people so that their voices are heard and they are in decision-making spaces in their communities — where they are able to implement plans with cultural relevance and respect for Indigenous people’s worldviews.”

— Yanisbeth González Robinson

(CO): Tell us about your work with the Gunayala Youth Congress. What does this youth congress do? Why do you think it is important for indigenous youth from different communities to collaborate?

(YG): The General Congress of the Guna Youth was born to recognize the participation and strengthening of the leadership of the Guna youth — improving our self-determination and autonomy. It is a space for us to reflect and talk with the different leaders of the communities, revitalize our culture and strengthen unity and communication. In this way, we face current difficulties and future ones. 

My job is to advise on legal aspects to the board of directors and the young delegates who participate, explain the importance of spirituality, get them involved in the General Congresses and reassure them that their voices will be heard and taken into account. As Yabiliginya Inaparkikiler — one of Gunayala’s great leaders — had said, we must be united to solve the problems because disunity breaks the spirit and ideals of a people.

(CO): When you were part of the Coordination of Women Territorial Leaders of Mesoamerica, defending the rights of women within the indigenous community, what were the challenges you faced in your work for young women and girls? How did you overcome these challenges?

(YG): One of the main concerns that Indigenous women have is the recognition of our right to self-determination, including territorial rights and access to natural resources, which are an essential part of our daily lives and our identity.

We face common challenges fighting against gender discrimination, threats against land usurpation, drug activity, biodiversity trafficking and climate change.

The space given to me in the Coordination of Women Territorial Leaders of the Mesoamerica Alliance of Peoples and Forests established — through exchanges with women organized in Indonesia and South America — the possibility of building structures at the regional level, where our voices are magnified. In this way, we could call the attention of different governments to the necessary attention that women need to survive in these increasingly hostile life scenarios and overcome those challenges.

“One of the main concerns that Indigenous women have is the recognition of our right to self-determination, including territorial rights and access to natural resources, which are an essential part of our daily lives and our identity.” (Photo courtesy of Yanisbeth González Robinson)

Among the priority issues for the empowerment of women are developing their capacities for leadership, facilitating cooperation to develop issues of interest to women in the various territories of Mesoamerica, expanding the participation of women in managing the territorial agenda with other people and organisations — as well as the incorporation of young leaders — and promoting initiatives that are fair, inclusive and respectful of people’s customs through the projects managed by the AMPB.

(CO): What is your favorite achievement so far as an activist for the rights of indigenous peoples in Panama? What goals do you hope to achieve through your activism?

(YG): My greatest achievement is leading young people so that their voices are heard and they are in decision-making spaces in their communities — where they are able to implement plans with cultural relevance and respect for Indigenous people’s worldviews.

My other achievements include constituting the ANYAR Organization to be able to help many women, children and young people, knowing and working with all the communities of Gunayala and above all being able to express the realities of the communities and the great legacy they have left on society at an international level.

(CO): What advice would you give to young women interested in actively representing their communities and advocating for their rights through their work? What plans do you have for the future?

(YG): It is necessary to make each contribution with love and that despite the barriers and adversities of life, it is possible to fulfill your goals and continue dreaming. Always trust in your potential and surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams.

My journey has been so uncertain, but it is clear that I must continue contributing to my community and building young leaders.

“I aspire to continue developing and executing projects in various themes to strengthen the local capacities of Indigenous populations based on their realities, and in this way continue to encourage young people” (Photo courtesy of Yanisbeth González Robinson)

In the future, I hope that ANYAR — which was created with much effort, dedication and love — can continue fighting to promote and defend Indigenous people’s rights, creating sustainable projects with cultural relevance and carrying out free and informed consultations in the Gunayala Region and in other Indigenous territories of Panama.

I aspire to continue developing and executing projects in various themes to strengthen the local capacities of Indigenous populations based on their realities, and in this way continue to encourage young people and put into practice the generational change that sometimes only remains in words and not in action.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.