The Global Program complements the work in our Regional Programs by addressing key policy and conceptual challenges through linking grassroots stewards and activists with global institutions, thought leaders and policy processes. We do this because there are growing opportunities at the international level for tackling the threats and constraints faced by local communities seeking to maintain their relationships to their land and seascapes. We support direct representation by traditional custodians in these policy processes and conferences, as well as through new media; alongside the facilitation of collaborations between Indigenous Peoples, local communities and the growing number of scientists, international agency officials, thought leaders and policy specialists who realize the significance of their engagement.

To complement these efforts to influence global policies and institutions we also support numerous programs to enable Indigenous Peoples and local communities to network, travel and train together in order to share what they are learning at a local level.

To catalyze a shift in the understanding of the interdependence of biological and cultural diversity, and the importance of local stewards and Indigenous Peoples in the maintenance of this diversity, the Global Program focusses on three themes.

Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change

This track of the Global Program continues support for the efforts of Indigenous organizations and their chosen allies to:

• Ensure that the international discourse on climate change mitigation and adaptation includes the knowledge and views of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

• Share practical experiences with climate change adaptation and mitigation amongst local communities and with the rest of the world.

• Develop practical tools rooted in indigenous knowledge and wisdom to assess the impacts of climate change on local communities and landscapes.

• Develop indigenous strategies and proposals for adaptation to climate change to improve national and international policymaking, while increasing the representation of Indigenous Peoples and women at international fora.

Resilient Biocultural Landscapes

This established track of the Global Program works with a cluster of dedicated organizations that operate globally with strong local connections in order to:

• Develop and strengthen legal and policy frameworks for the protection and continued custodianship by Indigenous and local peoples of their cultural landscapes and traditional territories.

• Support communities to apply and share Indigenous long-term landscape management and community development tools, while enhancing the application of ‘resilience thinking’ in these contexts.

• Raise public awareness of the importance of sacred sites in maintaining resilient biocultural landscapes at local, regional and global levels.

• Connect the guardians of sacred sites and biocultural landscapes for mutual support, learning, and networking opportunities.

Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty

To underscore the importance of agrobiodiversity and agriculture in biocultural diversity globally and the increasing erosion of planetary support systems by the transformation of agriculture to more input-dependent and less diverse systems we are growing this track of the Global Program to enhance efforts to:

• Link Indigenous and local organizations with other social movements and interested scientists to advance and mainstream agroecological, sustainable and resilient approaches to food and agriculture.
• Develop global, regional, and local policies and institutions that defend community land tenure and the rights of Indigenous Peoples to determine their own food systems and economies.
• Develop and integrate conceptual and policy tools for agrobiodiversity and agroecosystem methodologies into development work.

Strategy update: Christensen is currently consolidating its support around several existing partners for the Global Program, and we are not currently seeking or accepting requests for new grants at this time.