A/HRC/51/28 G. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 23. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization promotes cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures, affirming that cultural diversity is a defining characteristic of humanity.15 The preamble of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) recognizes that communities, in particular indigenous communities, groups and individuals, play an important role in the production, safeguarding, maintenance and recreation of the intangible cultural heritage, enriching cultural diversity and human creativity. Finally, article 7 (a) of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions enacts measures to promote cultural expressions, paying special attention to the needs of women and indigenous peoples. H. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 24. The Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform was established in 2015 by the twenty-first Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Platform facilitates collaboration between the parties to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and indigenous peoples to understand, amplify and disseminate the knowledge and expertise of indigenous peoples and enable them to contribute more meaningfully to global calls for adaptation and mitigation actions “in a holistic and integrated manner” as the effects of climate change are compounded. 25. The mandate of the Platform emphasizes local and indigenous knowledge as the foundation of the exchange of experience and best practices, with a view to applying, strengthening, protecting and preserving the traditional knowledge systems of indigenous peoples, as well as their technologies, practices and efforts related to addressing and responding to climate change, taking into account the free, prior and informed consent of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices. 26. Importantly, the Platform has taken gender into consideration in fulfilling its mandate with an emphasis put on guaranteeing equal participation from both male and female indigenous peoples’ representatives in the implementation of the work plan of the Platform and in leadership roles within it. I. International Fund for Agricultural Development 27. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has acknowledged that indigenous women, in particular, are full of untapped potential as stewards of natural resources and biodiversity and commits to valuing “indigenous peoples’ knowledge and practices in investment projects” and to building “on these assets by supporting pro-poor research that blends traditional knowledge and practices with modern scientific approaches”.16 IFAD has created the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility to provide small grants to support projects designed and implemented by indigenous peoples to “build on indigenous peoples’ culture, identity, knowledge and natural resources” and “implement grass-root development projects based on their own perspectives”. 17 V. Indigenous women as knowledge keepers 28. Indigenous women are custodians of a collective accumulation of scientific knowledge and technical skills related to food and agriculture, health and medicine, natural resource management, weather patterns, language, textiles, arts, crafts and spiritual practices. Their knowledge, often unwritten, is acquired based on observation and applied and tested 15 16 17 See Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. IFAD, “Engagement with indigenous peoples policy” (2009), p. 15. See https://www.ifad.org/en/ipaf. 7