Community and Indigenous constituency
Communities and Indigenous institutions live with the consequences of shared risks and hold knowledge that no model contains. The Global Risks Forum (GRF) gives them a constituency council of their own within the National Nexus Consortium (NNC), so that they take part as institutions with standing, not as consulted audiences. Participation rests on consent, representation chosen by the community itself and protection of local and Indigenous knowledge. This page sets out how the constituency is designed to work and the rights it protects.
- 01In briefThe short answer
- 02PrinciplesThree commitments at the centre of the constituency
- 03Rights frameworkThe instruments that frame participation
- 04In practiceKnowledge on its own terms
- 05ParticipationHow an institution takes part
- 06SafeguardsWhat the constituency protects against
- 07Current stateThe constituency is designed; enquiries are open
GRF · Institution · service level R0
The short answer.
The community and Indigenous constituency is the GRF constituency council through which communities and Indigenous institutions take part in the National Nexus Consortium as institutions with standing, not consulted audiences. Participation rests on consent, representation the community chooses and protection of its knowledge; the constituency is designed, and enquiries are open.
Landscapes and remoteness in World.
Mountain ranges, deserts, wetlands, glaciers and reefs, and how remote each division is from large cities, in World.
Three commitments at the centre of the constituency.
Free, prior and informed
Participation and any use of knowledge rest on consent given before work begins, with the information needed to decide, and can be withdrawn.
Chosen by the community
Communities and Indigenous institutions decide who speaks for them. GRF does not appoint representatives.
Protected by schedule
Local and Indigenous knowledge is used only under an agreed knowledge-use schedule and never enters public examples or model training without consent.
The instruments that frame participation.
| Instrument | What it sets |
|---|---|
| UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Self-determination, free, prior and informed consent, and participation in decisions affecting Indigenous peoples |
| ILO Convention No. 169 | Consultation duties for ratifying states |
| Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 22 | Full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in decision-making |
| CBD COP16 decisions of 2024 | A permanent subsidiary body on Article 8(j) and the Cali Fund for benefits from digital sequence information |
| UNFCCC Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform | Exchange of knowledge and practice on climate action |
Knowledge on its own terms.
- Indigenous knowledge is cited with the holders' permission and in the form they choose, following principles such as CARE for Indigenous data governance.
- Communities decide who represents them; GRF does not select representatives.
- Dialogue timetables follow community decision processes, which may take longer than institutional ones.
- Records are reviewed by community representatives before release.
IPBES assessments, which treat Indigenous and local knowledge as a distinct knowledge system, are a model for how evidence briefs from GCRI can present it.
How an institution takes part.
- 01
Co-design
The terms of participation are designed with the institution, including language, format and timing.
- 02
Knowledge-use schedule
What knowledge may be shared, with whom, for what purpose and for how long.
- 03
Benefit plan
What the community receives from the work, stated before it begins.
- 04
Withdrawal conditions
How the institution can withdraw, and what happens to knowledge already shared.
There is no fee to raise a harm or to correct public information, and no membership is needed to report a concern.
What the constituency protects against.
Constituency councils are how institutions take part in the National Nexus Consortium (NNC). Membership of a constituency council does not create a Leadership Council seat, and no contribution decides a technical conclusion, public authority or procurement treatment.
- Use of community voices to legitimise decisions already taken.
- Extraction of knowledge without benefit or consent.
- Exposure of individuals to pressure or retaliation; safeguarding concerns use the restricted route at safeguarding@globalriskforum.com.
- Confusion between a community relationship and national representation.
The constituency is designed; enquiries are open.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. Communities and Indigenous institutions can ask about participation at councils@globalriskforum.com; the acknowledgement gives a reference and names the next step. GCRI's route for communities is on Communities and civil society. See also Media and civil society constituency and the council architecture.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Free, prior and informed consent | The right of Indigenous peoples to give or withhold consent, without coercion, in advance and with full information, to measures that affect their lands, territories and rights, as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples sets out. |
| Local knowledge | Understanding of hazards and coping developed by communities through experience and tradition. |
| Constituency | A group of institutions or people with a shared stake, such as governments, research, industry, media or Indigenous communities, represented in a council so that its perspective is heard. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Does taking part mean we agree with the outcome?
Can our knowledge be used to train models?
Is there a cost to take part?
Who speaks for our community?
Around GRF.
Start with an enquiry.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.