Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Indigenous Pacific people call Copenhagen Accord a failure

Posted at 22:59 on 22 December, 2009 UTC

A spokesperson for indigenous Pacific people says the Copenhagen Accord is a total failure, and its funding for reducing emissions from forestry will not benefit his people.

The accord promises new funding for the United Nations programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries or REDD.

But Fiu Elisara, who was an indigenous representative at the climate change conference, says the accord ignores the concerns of indigenous people.

He says this includes REDD, which is designed to offer financial incentives to conserve forests, but will not filter through to local communities.

“The way it’s working any funding out of REDD will be through an inter-governmental process and it’s basically benefitting the culprits, or compensating the loggers for example, because the criteria is such that the intention to de-log will actually amount to the logging companies and the emissions trading companies to actually benefit from REDD funding.”

Fiu Elisara says communities in the Indonesian province of Papua have been killed to make way for REDD projects.