Capturing the key insights from the global science-policy-society discussion at the World Biodiversity Forum, I am heading to Southeast Asia this summer.

From 25-28 June, I co-organized the event with ASEAN's CSO Forum on Social Forestry, Asian Indigenous People Pact (AIPP), also with the support from Mekong Regional Land Governance and Green Livelihood Alliance on “Strengthening IP&LCs and CSOs roles in Climate and Biodiversity Governance."

Significant focus will be directed towards the crucial roles of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs), along with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), in strengthening tenure security and governance frameworks across the region, in relation to exploring effective from below strategies for implementing global goals and national-level commitments to climate and biodiversity.

I would like to express my appreciation to all participants who actively contributed during the 3-day gathering of CSO Forum from 9 countries across Southeast Asia, especially NTFP-EP Asia and Cambodia Femy Pinto Dazzle Labapis for their amazing coordination. Their expertise, insights and commitment are essential to drive transformative change and advance global commitments on both climate change and biodiversity loss.

This activity is part of the postdoctoral project with the Integrated Biodiversity Conservation Science Research Team at Wyss Academy for Nature, to assess the governance capacity of non-state actors to engage and contribute to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework in practice in Southeast Asia and East Africa.