Long ago, our sciences foretold of the severe impacts of western "development" models. Paradoxically, those who previously turned deaf ears to our warnings now are dismayed because their own model of "development'' endangers our Mother Earth.

At long last, the international community has been forced to recognise that climate change threatens the very survival of humanity. Despite the recognition of our role in preventing global warming, when it comes time to sign international conventions like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, once again, our right to participate in national and international discussions that directly affect our peoples and territories is denied.

Any decision or action that the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or recommendations to other organs must include our full and effective participation.

Our key positions are as follows:

1. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) established by the Kyoto Protocol offers both negative and positive possibilities. We believe it poses the threat of invasion and lost of our land and territories by establishing new regimes for protected areas and privatisation. The CDM will not be a solution to global warming if it diffuses or obfuscates the responsibility of industrialised countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. We emphatically oppose the inclusion of sinks, plantations, nuclear power, mega-hydroelectric production and coal. Furthermore, we oppose the development of a carbon market that would broaden the scope of globalisation. However, we do support the Positive List including the development of alternative energies that foster sustainable development.

2. Our intrinsic relation with Mother Earth obliges us to oppose the inclusion of sinks in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) because it reduces our sacred land and territories to mere carbon sequestration, which is contrary to our cosmovision and philosophy of life. Sinks in the CDM would constitute a worldwide strategy for expropriating our lands and territories and violating our fundamental rights that would culminate in a new form of colonialism. Sinks in the CDM would not help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; rather it would provide industrialised countries with a ploy to avoid reducing their emissions at source.

3. Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) in the Protocol have profound consequences for our lands and territories since it does not recognise the land rights nor customary land use of indigenous peoples. The definitions of afforestation, reforestation and deforestation must not contribute to the destruction of our native ecosystems, forests, lands or territories, nor to the violation of our collective and individual rights. We reject granting carbon credits for "additional activities."

4. We enthusiastically support the creation and funding of the Adaptation Fund. Since we sadly foresee that our peoples will continue to suffer the adverse impacts of climate change, we demand our inclusion as beneficiaries of such a fund. Monies for this fund should be garnered from punitive fines for the failure of Annex I countries to meet their emissions reduction targets or for inaccurate carbon accounting or national inventories.

5. We deem it necessary that the UNFCCC support the need of indigenous peoples to conduct our own independent critique and evaluation of Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) projects and their impacts and ramifications for the rights and lands of our peoples.

6. We propose that our peoples and experts be included in the assessment and analysis of climate change in Annex I countries provided for in Articles 5, 7 & 8.

7. Since our peoples are on the frontlines of the adverse impacts of climate change, we must be included in the UNFCCC capacity building initiatives and propose that special, specific capacity building be undertaken for indigenous peoples.

8. We call for the cancellation of carbon credits and the creation of punitive fines if Annex I countries fail to meet their emission reduction targets or submit inaccurate carbon accounting or inventories.

9. We recommend that COP6 recognise the fundamental role of Indigenous Peoples and their organisations in climate change prevention and environmental conservation and accredit indigenous peoples with special status in all organs and activities related to climate change.