ESI Stories

AIFCC at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

July 26, 2023

June 2023 marked the second session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (UNPFPAD) in New York City. The session’s programming included a side-event and landmark gathering for the Afro-Interamerican Forum on Climate Change (AIFCC) with over 90 prominent researchers, activists, and representatives hailing from Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, and the Garifuna people. This event, organized by the AIFCC and convened by the Ambassador of Colombia in the United States, Luis Gilberto Murillo, focused on the pressing socio-ecological and systemic racism challenges faced by Afro-descendant communities that serve as historic environmental stewards across the Americas.

Launched at the 26th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in 2021, and hosted at the MIT ESI and in partnership with Conservation International, the AIFCC conducts research, brings greater visibility to, and strengthens technical capacities of Afro-descendant populations in their efforts to address the interconnected crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss, supporting their ground-breaking contributions to the stewardship of areas of critical environmental importance and their global environmental services.

Opening remarks by Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombian Ambassador to the US and former MLK fellow at ESI.

The event this June, titled “Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: Challenges and Opportunities for Afro-descendant Communities as Crucial Environmental Defenders,” served as a platform for sharing valuable insights between board members of the UNPFPAD, global political leaders and researchers invested in finding solutions to the aforementioned socio-environmental challenges. Featured speakers included Epsy Campbell, President of the UNPFPAD; Amara Enyia, Member of the UNPFPAD and President of Global Black; Kelvin Alie, Senior Vice President for Field Partnerships in the Global Field Programs at Conservation International; Andrés Mejía, General Consul of Colombia in New York; Pastor Murillo, Member of the UNPFPAD; Angelica Mayolo and Marcela Ángel from the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and the AIFCC; and Julio Guity-Guevara, member of the AIFCC’s Coordinating Committee and Managing Director at SUDECC.

The urgent need for financing Afro-descendant, community-led natural climate solutions was emphasized by the panelists. They stressed that the challenges faced by these communities demand robust financial support to implement sustainable solutions, protect their lands, and promote environmental justice, and that without adequate resources, the aspirations and efforts of Afro-descendant communities as environmental stewards may be hindered.

Furthermore, the need for more significant participation of local Afro-descendant leaders from across the Americas in key international platforms, such as the upcoming COP28 in 2023 was highlighted. Participants were committed to facilitating these processes from within different organizations with the objective of amplifying the unique perspectives, lived experiences, and valuable insights of these communities in decision-making processes that shape environmental policies and strategies worldwide. “By amplifying the voices of Afro-descendant leaders, we can foster a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to environmental governance,” said Angelica Mayolo, incoming MLK scholar at ESI.

Over 90 researchers, activists and government representatives from across the Americas attended the UNPFPAD side-event at the US consulate in NY

Mayolo and Angel further outlined ways in which ESI and the AIFCC have been working to respond to these demands, including the need to leverage research to inform policy and local actions, to create spaces for greater participation and visibility of Afro-descendant leaders, and to support community-based innovation in Natural Climate Solutions. “We’re working on creating a pipeline of community-based Natural Climate Solutions, providing technical assistance and training in the design and formulation of projects with local Afro-descendant communities,” explained Mayolo. Angel pointed out that “ESI and the AIFCC have been actively listening to local environmental leaders, researchers and policy-makers to develop a collaborative research agenda and engaging Afro-descendant researchers in participatory research processes,” and mentioned topics that have emerged as priorities, including carbon markets and community-based conservation in territories of high Afro-descendant presence in both urban areas and collectively owned territories.

MIT ESI and the AIFCC are committed to collaborating with the UNPFPAD, acting as a research branch and platform to inform the climate agenda through data-driven insights and policy recommendations, and by highlighting the voices and perspectives of Afro-descendant communities in the international climate agenda. This event was an example of how the MIT ESI and the AIFCC can contribute to bridging the gap between technical expertise, grassroots engagement, and global climate initiatives through their collaboration with the UNPFPAD.