Brazil Floats Local-Community Seats as Speakers Say Consultation Isn't Consent

Indigenous knowledge holders at a COP31 dialogue on Nov. 13, 2026, said governments are still asking for input without sharing decision-making power. Brazil proposed giving local communities formal positions in the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform's governing group. No votes were taken. The UNFCCC Secretariat will compile the recommendations into a summary report that will feed into the second Global Stocktake.

• Brazil proposes local-community positions in the platform's Facilitative Working Group, a potential governance change
• "Consultation is not consent": A Dene knowledge holder from Canada said UNDRIP commitments go unmet
• Nepal-based researchers call for Indigenous-led research and funding, not studies done "on" communities
• Youth report four roundtable cycles urging protection of languages and lands and real roles in climate plans
• Brazil, Australia, Finland and Guatemala describe Indigenous inclusion measures in national policy

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Brazil Pitches a Governance Shift for the Platform

The basics: The Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIP) is the UNFCCC space for Indigenous and local knowledge in climate policy. Its Facilitative Working Group (FWG) steers the platform's work.

Why it matters: A representative of Brazil's Ministry of Racial Equality proposed creating positions for local communities in the FWG. The change would alter who sets the platform's agenda. Brazil also highlighted its land policy for quilombola communities as an example of territorial rights in practice.

Where things stand: Other national delegations described their own approaches:

• Australia cited work on Indigenous language preservation.
• Tuomas Aslakius, Vice President of the Sami Parliament in Finland, described Finnish legislation that obliges the government to negotiate with the Sami Parliament.
• Guatemala pointed to its NDC 3.0 and to territorial agendas. An NDC, or nationally determined contribution, is a country's climate plan under the Paris Agreement.

UNFCCC bodies explained how their work connects to Indigenous knowledge. Benoni Asini, a representative of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG), spoke about national adaptation plans. Jared, a member of the Warsaw International Mechanism Executive Committee (WIM ExCom), addressed the loss-and-damage work stream. A representative of the UNFCCC Secretariat's Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) team also described linkages between ACE and the platform.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Nothing was adopted. The session was informational, and Brazil's proposal has no formal status yet. The proposal matters most to local communities, which are named in the platform's title but would gain dedicated seats in its working group under Brazil's idea.

What's next: The proposal enters the Secretariat's summary report. Watch whether the FWG or parties take it up in future platform governance discussions.

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"Consultation Is Not Consent": Contributors Press for Real Power

Why it matters: The sharpest moments came from contributors who said the gap between international commitments and practice remains wide.

Where things stand: "Consultation is not consent," said Michael (John) McCready, a Dene knowledge holder from Canada. McCready argued that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is not being upheld. Free, prior and informed consent is a core UNDRIP standard. McCready drew a line between being asked for input and having the power to say no.

A cluster of speakers from Nepal's Center for Indigenous Peoples Research and Development (CIPRED) made a coordinated case on research. They included Pasang Dolma Sherpa, Sharana Sherpa and Bobin Rai. They criticized research done on Indigenous communities rather than with them. They also called for Indigenous-led research backed by dedicated funding.

Biswas Chepang, of the Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development and Mountain Sentinels, described a Chepang knowledge center. Another contributor spoke about Pulaku in the context of Fulani pastoralist communities.

The other side: No delegation directly rebutted the critiques. Speakers set the national inclusion measures described earlier against what they experience on the ground. In their view, consultation processes still fall short of shared decision-making and the resources to act.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: These contributors are asking for more than a seat at the table. They want control over research agendas, ownership of their knowledge and money to carry out the work. If the Secretariat and constituted bodies adopt these recommendations, research institutions and funders would have to change how they partner with communities.

What's next: The Secretariat plans to compile case stories from the dialogue in a way that respects consent. Contributors will be watching that process closely.

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Youth Roundtable Urges Language, Land and Ownership

Why it matters: Youth knowledge holders reported the outcomes of the Seventh Generation Roundtable. These messages will go to UNFCCC constituted bodies and into the FWG's input to the second Global Stocktake. The Global Stocktake is the Paris Agreement's periodic assessment of collective climate progress.

Where things stand: The roundtable ran in four sharing cycles:

• Cycle 1: mother tongues and how knowledge passes through lived experience
• Cycle 2: caring for lands and waters
• Cycle 3: everyday climate practices in Nigeria and Moldova
• Cycle 4: NDCs and national adaptation plans (NAPs)

The common thread was recognition. Youth said communities are already taking climate action and should get credit for it. They called for moving beyond consultation toward real participation. In the fourth cycle, they said national plans need substantive Indigenous roles and that communities must keep ownership of their knowledge.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. The youth messages overlap closely with the later critiques from adult knowledge holders. That alignment across generations strengthens the case that national climate planning processes need structural change.

What's next: The takeaways will be shared with constituted bodies and the Global Stocktake input process.

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Minor Items

• Ground rules on consent: Facilitators said shared knowledge may appear in reports, subject to free, prior and informed consent and the CARE principles.
• Opening remarks: Berend Hooper, FWG co-chair, and Sally Higgins, COP31 Youth Climate Champion, welcomed participants.
• Session leadership: FWG co-leads Achatou and Ricardo Campos facilitated the dialogue, which opened with an invocation and a live participant poll.

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Looking Ahead

The Secretariat will produce a summary report with recommendations and case stories. It will share them with constituted bodies, and the material will inform the FWG's input to the second Global Stocktake. Two invocations closed the session, described as the final mandated LCIP event.