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Dear Relatives,
As we enter May 2023, the first few months of this year our team has been busy protecting, advocating, and fighting for Mother Earth. Some of our work has included various members of our team directly engaging with our base on a variety of issues, and we have amplified their struggles, priorities, and work through advocacy, and organizing at United Nations, local actions across Turtle Island, with our alliances and larger network.
As we continue onward, we remain committed to engaging and advocating for our communities at local, national, and global levels, along with supporting the collective efforts of our People and movements to fight for a healthy, sustainable, and thriving Mother Earth, and the next Seven Generations to come.
The content below is a brief overview of news, reports, UN interventions, and events that have filled our first four months of 2023!
In most recent news, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Western Mining Action Network are excited to announce the latest round of Mining Mini Grants! This Mining Mini-Grant program offers financial grant assistance to non-profit and grassroots communities threatened or adversely affected by mining in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to provide at least 50% of grants to Indigenous communities. Costs covered include legal and technical expertise, communications, mobilization, travel, gatherings, and more!
The IEN-WMAN Mini-Grant program will be accepting applications now through June 1, 2023.
To be considered, applications must be submitted online HERE
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At the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), this year's thematic focus is Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change.
IEN sent a strong delegation of Indigenous leaders to advocate against the UN’s promotion of FALSE SOLUTIONS, and advocated for the implementation of an Indigenous Just Transition as a solution and framework to address human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change. We presented four interventions, published one press release, and hosted two side events at UNPFII.
Read and watch IEN's Interventions, webinars and panel presentations held during the UNPFII here.
As an high-level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) within the United Nations system since 2000, UNPFII is one of only three U.N. bodies that deal specifically with Indigenous issues, with a major focus on advocating for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UNDRIP for short - a non-binding resolution that affirms international Indigenous rights but is irregularly followed or applied by nations, and sometimes, even by U.N. agencies. UNPFII offers Indigenous Peoples, leaders, organizations and allies an opportunity to raise specific issues to the agency in the hope of winding those issues through the international system to world leaders and policy makers.
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IEN along with Rainforest Action Network, Oil Change International, ReClaim Finance, Sierra Club, Urgewald, released: Banking on Climate Chaos - Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2023.
Bank climate commitments are backed up by one thing: CASH. In 2022, once again, big banks proved that they’re committed to profits - not people and planet. We’ve been told time and time again that the climate crisis is HERE and our climate can’t take a single new fossil fuel project. Instead of investing in a just transition away from fossil fuels, big banks are continuing to finance climate destruction, to the tune of $673 BILLION last year alone.
Wall Street’s dirtiest secret is that it’s financing fossil fuel expansion and risking us all. US banks provided 26% of the financing for fossil fuel expansion in 2022. This can’t continue.
This report also highlights frontline stories of people leading against destructive fossil fuel projects and companies around the world. Read IEN’s feature on page 38 of the report.
 The 2023 Banking on Climate Chaos report is the most comprehensive analysis on fossil fuel banking produced to date. This 14th annual version of the report continues to investigate the fossil fuel financing and policies of the world’s 60 largest banks. Fossil fuel financing from the world’s 60 largest banks has reached nearly USD $5.5 trillion in the seven years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, with $669 billion in 2022 alone. When it comes down to climate action, it's not about pledges for commitments, it's about cash, and this report shows exactly where the money goes.
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Also, in April the Indigenous Environmental Network sponsored Movement Rights Second Convening of the Four Winds in the heart of the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma.
For two days Indigenous Peoples from all directions across Turtle Island came together and discussed Indigenous resistance strategies, water protection, Rights of Nature, MMIW, Indigenous Just Transition, and participated in a non-violent direct action training.
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The United Nations also hosted the UN Water Conference in New York this past March, where IEN participated and hosted an Indigenous Water Ethics Event at the New School. ICYMI: WATCH HERE.
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IEN’s Interventions at the UNPFII: Item 4 – Key Concepts of Indigenous Just Transition (IJT) “Item 4 on the six mandated areas of the Permanent
Second Convening of the Four Winds 2023
April 22-23, the Indigenous Environmental Network sponsored Movement Rights Second Convening of the Four Winds in the heart of the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma.
Indigenous peoples are the most impacted by decisions made about our waterways. Indigenous original instructions embedded in our languages and ancient stories, ceremonies and rituals maintain, sustain and protect biodiversity.
60+ Groups Form Alliance Against Faulty Offsets, Dirty Energy in Farm Bill Carbon markets, offsets, factory farm gas threaten climate action under the guise of...
This is a massive oil drilling development on Alaska’s North Slope, which is a stretch of public land known as the National Petroleum Reserve that borders the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Occupation, where members of the Oglala Lakota Nation and the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days from Feb 27, 1973 – May 8, 1973.
The Indigenous Environmental Network mourns the passing of Māori Elder and Traditional Knowledge Holder, Hinewirangi Kohu of Aotearoa (Ngati Kahungungu, Ngati Ranginui.) We express our deepest condolences to Hinewirangi’s whanau (family), the many Māori she worked with and helped in various capacities...
Bristol Bay Tribes, communities, Alaska Native Corporations and organizations are celebrating the news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 404(c) Clean Water Act protections that will stop the proposed Pebble Mine from being built at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
IEN advocates for the understanding that our fight for climate justice cannot be deemed a success without dismantling the legacies of colonialism and slavery, of which the police state and its violent methods are used as brutal tools.
Pressure mounts to remove polluters, not just oil exec, from UN climate talks UNFCCC constituencies and 425 groups call on UN and UNFCCC leads to...
Environmental Coalition to Energy Secretary Granholm: Again Reject Massive Bailout Scheme at Palisades “Zombie” Atomic Reactor Restarting Dangerously Age-Degraded Nuke Would Risk Health, Safety, Security,
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There's always more to read, view, and learn - follow us on social media and the web:
Established in 1990, The Indigenous Environmental Network is an international environmental justice nonprofit that works with tribal grassroots organizations to build the capacity of Indigenous communities. I EN’s activities include empowering Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, the health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.
Thank you as always for sharing our newsletters and our social media whenever possible.
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