Indigenous peoples and local communities solidify decision-making powers at COP17

At the U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Armenia (COP17), Indigenous peoples and local communities achieved full operationalization of a subsidiary body within the Convention on Biological Diversity that gives them formal roles in advising parties, drafting decision texts, and developing guidelines for global conservation goals.

The compromise reached does not explicitly recognize seven sociocultural regions as originally desired by IP&LC negotiators, though they believe the agreement provides a basis to use their own governance systems.