COP30 Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant communities Forest and Land Tenure Pledge

Belém, Brazil | November 2025

We, the endorsers of this Forest and Land Tenure Pledge, recognize that Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant communities¹ are the guardians of many of the world's most biodiverse and climate-critical ecosystems. Despite very limited land tenure rights recognition and security, they safeguard these lands through their knowledge, collective stewardship, and leadership. Their work is vital to securing a just, equitable, and sustainable future for all people and the planet.

We reaffirm that land and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples are enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international human rights instruments and environmental treaties.

Since the COP26 Pledge to Advance Support for Indigenous Peoples' and Local Communities' Tenure Rights and their Forest Guardianship, we have witnessed important legal reforms, national policy shifts, and innovative territorial and Indigenous funds supporting progress to secure rights and protect nature. We also acknowledge that serious challenges persist, including weak land tenure security, violence against environmental and human rights defenders, insufficient funding, and systemic barriers that limit equitable access and meaningful engagement of women, youth, and historically excluded groups in decision-making.

We, therefore, renew our commitments in support of Indigenous Peoples', local communities', and Afro-descendant communities' tenure rights while recognizing them as central actors in halting and reversing forest and biodiversity loss and land degradation,² and advancing climate resilience and adaptation. Together, we collectively pledge $1.8 billion of funding³ from 2026 to 2030 to advance efforts that:

• Recognize, secure, strengthen, and sustain their land and forest tenure rights
• Advance community-led conservation, restoration, and climate strategies
• Reinforce locally-led institutions, including those representing women and youth, and enable them to engage in other climate, biodiversity and rights initiatives
• Support governments on policy reforms and land use planning and the institutional, financial and social conditions that will protect and enhance such work
• Facilitate international and national mechanisms advancing their rights

We will continue efforts to increase the share of direct, long-term, and flexible financing, ensuring communities have genuine decision-making power and influence over how funds are used. We are committed to working with partner organizations to improve the design and delivery of efforts funded in alignment with our Pledge and the right of Indigenous Peoples to be consulted in order to obtain their Free, Prior and Informed Consent as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The COP30 Pledge applies to work in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance, in relevant terrestrial ecosystems including forests, drylands, rangelands, peatlands, mangroves, and littoral forests. Our focus recognizes the interdependence of ecosystems, which is central to stewardship practices in Indigenous and community-managed landscapes. We believe such efforts will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the three Rio Conventions.⁴

This Forest and Land Tenure Pledge complements and reinforces the goals of the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership's Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, providing a pathway for endorsers to align financial commitments with political will to secure land tenure and strengthen governance in forest and land-use sectors.⁵ It also supports advancing the enabling conditions required for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility to meet its allocation of a "minimum of 20% of forest payments to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities."

The Forest and Land Tenure Pledge does not create a centralized funding mechanism, and each endorser is responsible for their own grantmaking. We are committed to open consultation with rights-holders and stakeholders throughout the Pledge period 2026–30. We will support transparent and coordinated action through the Forest Tenure Funders Group, which will continue to publish annual public reports.

Despite threats to their lives and rights to their territories, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant communities lead much of the global effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. We invite all funders and partner organizations to join us in advancing a world where land rights are secured, guardians of nature are supported, and climate justice is realized.