Indigenous People's Secretariat (Canada)

The Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat is a small independent office hosted by the Biodiversity Convention Office of Environment Canada whose mandate is to:

• Facilitate and support the exchange and dissemination of relevant information on traditional knowledge, biodiversity and intellectual property rights, in particular, through the IBIN.net newsletter and thematic email distribution lists.



• Promote education and public awareness of the objectives and relevant provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).



• Encourage capacity-building and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in international CBD negotiations and in implementation activities at the national level.

Other activities include:

• Coordination of the Canadian Indigenous Biodiversity Network (CIBN) which is an open group of national, regional and local Indigenous organizations, Indigenous academics, activists and community members who have an interest in the CBD, the implementation of Article 8j and other articles of the CBD of particular relevance to Indigenous Peoples.



• Collaborate with Indigenous organizations within Canada and around the world, particularly with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB).