Eileen Mairena Cunningham, a prominent Miskitu leader from Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast, has been a dedicated advocate for Indigenous Peoples' rights and climate action for over a decade. As the Indigenous Peoples focal point for the UNFCCC, Eileen plays a crucial role in amplifying Indigenous voices globally and integrating their knowledge system into international climate policy. 

In this interview, Eileen shares her insights on the intersection between traditional knowledge and modern climate strategies, she discusses the barriers Indigenous communities face in accessing climate funding, and her hopes for COP 30. Eileen also discusses the Global Data Study for Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions - which aims to examine the experiences, interpretations, and responses of Indigenous Peoples to climate change.

Please can you explain your current role?

Primarily I'm the Indigenous Peoples focal point for the UNFCCC, serving as a bridge between Indigenous Peoples across seven sociocultural regions and the UN climate negotiations. My key focus is advocating for climate finance and ensuring Indigenous Peoples' visions and contributions are integrated into climate policy. Additionally, I work on capacity building, strengthening Indigenous networks, and preparing youth as future climate leaders. 

My role also involves research - to provide clear evidence of Indigenous Peoples' leadership in climate resilience and biodiversity conservation, and their contribution to the global climate goals, which includes the recently launched Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions, which seeks to understand how Indigenous Peoples are responding to climate change through their practices, lived experiences and adaptive strategies.

Rice terraces in the Indigenous community of Sagada, in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Credit: Eileen Mairena Cunningham.

What inspired you to work at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and climate policy?

I come from Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast, a large region, accounting for over 40% of the entire national territory, which is rich in both cultural diversity, as well as natural resources. The Indigenous Communities living on the Mosquito Coast, known as ‘Miskitu’, are deeply connected with nature. It’s no accident that the locations of the Miskitu coincide with Nicaragua’s richest natural resources - these communities are inextricably linked to nature, and they protect the conditions for their mutual survival. 

Growing up, I saw firsthand how elders governed based on deep traditional knowledge of natural ecosystems. Historically, our communities have been marginalized - despite their immense knowledge and stewardship. The struggle to gain—and eventually regain—autonomy for the Miskitu Peoples stretches back to the 17th century. But, in essence, for a very long time, our Community existed only on the periphery of state governance. 

Witnessing these challenges inspired me to advocate to incorporate Indigenous wisdom into climate policy, recognizing our vital role in managing and conserving natural ecosystems.

Can you share an example where Miskitu knowledge has helped communities adapt to climate change?

One of my aunts often recounts an experience from when she was seven years old. After a devastating hurricane, my grandparents took her to an area where a community had been completely wiped out. The hurricane left widespread devastation, flattening homes and destroying crops, disrupting both shelter and food security across the community. But, over time, my auntie witnessed how the community rebuilt itself from the destruction. Guided by the elders, they determined not just how houses should be reconstructed, but how agricultural practices could resume, while restoring soil health. 

This memory underscores that extreme weather events are not new challenges; they've been part of our reality for generations. But, it also shows how Indigenous resilience, that is deeply rooted in our traditional knowledge, shapes our response to climate challenges. 

As extreme weather events increase and intensify, it’s critical for global resilience for Indigenous governance systems, community leadership, and land management practices to be recognized at national and international decision-making levels, and integrated into policy.

How have Indigenous practices boosted resilience in Nicaragua?

Our region is increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes, which are becoming more frequent, intense, and devastating. In 2021, within just ten days, our region endured two powerful hurricanes—one category four and one category five. Despite these back-to-back disasters, amazingly there were no fatalities, thanks to effective disaster organization, early warning systems, and Indigenous governance systems that coordinated evacuations and return strategies.

After these hurricanes entire communities were completely wiped out, with seawater pushed many miles inland by storm surges. In the process of rebuilding, communities focused not only on reconstructing homes, but also reviving agricultural practices through traditional methods, such as the Miskitu practice of ‘intercropping’ - growing native species together, which strengthens resistance to winds and floods, while also promoting soil regeneration, and reducing pests and diseases.

Another notable practice is the traditional Miskitu building technique using wooden pegs instead of metal nails. These wooden pegs expand when absorbing moisture, creating an exceptionally tight, durable bond, unlike metal nails which can rust and weaken. This provides remarkable resilience against hurricanes. 

Elders actively teach younger generations these critical methods, along with techniques for interpreting natural signs, such as animal behavior and wind patterns, to predict severe weather events.

In the Indigenous Community of Waspam, Nicaragua, a Miskitu mother attends women’s rights training with her daughter. Credit: Eileen Mairena Cunningham.

Why is it so important to preserve Indigenous knowledge systems? 

Preserving and revitalizing Indigenous Peoples knowledge system is a crucial challenge. Across Latin America, including in Nicaragua, we’re seeing instances of the links between elders and youth being broken, causing traditional knowledge systems to be lost. It’s vital to foster intergenerational knowledge, so that these techniques are transmitted to the youth and to future generations.

For Indigenous Peoples, it's not just a legacy that we have to maintain, it's also a strategy to boost climate resilience on a global scale. Recently published World Bank research on climate resilience found that Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural practices, and spiritual values serve as the unifying force behind Indigenous resilience. Indigenous Peoples knowledge systems drive resilience by informing communities of weather patterns and emergencies, guiding response protocols, informing adequate infrastructure designs, and guiding the sustainable use of natural resources for food, medicine, and the well-being of our communities.

A home garden in the Indigenous Community of Sagada, nestled in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Credit: Eileen Mairena Cunningham.

What obstacles prevent Indigenous communities from receiving direct funding

Indigenous Peoples protect a large amount of the world’s biodiversity, but strikingly they only receive less than one percent of total climate finance. This is due to bureaucratic and restrictive funding mechanisms. Currently, funding is often channelled through intermediaries—governments or large NGOs—that impose complex administrative requirements which Indigenous groups can struggle to meet. 

Complex compliance requirements imposed by financial mechanisms and funding institutions are also a significant barrier to climate finance. While large NGOs are accustomed to their reporting processes, Indigenous Communities often lack the resources and familiarity to navigate them effectively. Although this traditional funding mindset is slowly evolving, substantial challenges remain.

Political and legal obstacles also restrict finance access, particularly in Latin America, where many Indigenous Communities lack formal legal recognition over their lands. Without such recognition, governments frequently exclude Indigenous Peoples from negotiations. Additionally, most funding mechanisms favor short-term projects. Short term approaches are misaligned with Indigenous Peoples who have a long-term vision and deep-rooted commitment to their territories.

Furthermore, climate finance mechanisms typically adopt a country-driven, government-level approach. This approach often overlooks the necessity of inclusive engagement with various stakeholders, particularly Indigenous Peoples, who can drive meaningful climate action within territories.

Overall, there is also a lack of trust that Indigenous governance structures are capable of implementing actions on the ground. As a result, too often, Indigenous Communities go ahead and implement activities in their territories without the funding. We need far more attention on these issues and additional capacity to deal with them.

Ancestral mobility along the Wangki River. The pipante - traditional wooden canoe - links communities, memories, and movement across the Río Coco in Nicaragua. Credit: Eileen Mairena Cunningham.

How significant is COP 30 for Indigenous Peoples, what outcomes are you hoping for?

Hosting the next COP in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon’s Indigenous territories sends a powerful message: these lands have been preserved largely by Indigenous Peoples that live there. The event must mark an historic shift from symbolic acknowledgment of this, to tangible action.

The COP President's proposal for a ‘Circle of Indigenous Peoples Leadership’ is a welcome step. It acknowledges the value of Indigenous knowledge systems and the vital role that our  Communities play in climate stewardship. However, the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples must go beyond a ‘one-time’ symbolic initiative. Indigenous Peoples should be recognized not just for their contributions, but fully integrated into the outcomes of future COPs. 

There are four key outcomes that I believe COP 30 should deliver to elevate the role of Indigenous Peoples as leaders and decision-makers in global climate efforts.

• Clear commitments to land rights and tenure security, as essential precursors to effective climate action.

• Mechanisms to unlock direct climate finance for Indigenous Peoples, breaking down bureaucratic barriers to fully empower Indigenous Peoples to lead. 

• A formalized, ongoing structure for Indigenous participation in the UNFCCC process, given most of the actions to protect and restore nature will take place on our lands and territories.

• Integration of Indigenous governance models and conservation practices into national and global climate plans.

We must also ensure that global discussions translate into action at the regional level. Indigenous Peoples must be involved not only during COP 30 but in the years that follow, with meaningful ongoing dialogue with Parties and COP Presidencies. The Circle of Indigenous Peoples Leadership must be fully embedded within the existing global Indigenous caucus structures, not replace or bypass them.

This moment is also about narrative change—about moving beyond the view of Indigenous Peoples as passive observers, or recipients of support. Now is the moment to acknowledge that Indigenous Communities have been at the frontline of the defence of nature for generations, and to recognise the massive potential to scale our knowledge and governance systems to protect nature around the world. 

Ultimately, COP 30 must affirm Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and leadership. It must amplify our voices and actions, not only through statements, but through commitments embedded in climate finance systems, policy frameworks, and international agreements.

How will the Global Data Study on Indigenous Peoples' help to change the narrative?

The Global Data Study is a critical opportunity to generate evidence and elevate Indigenous perspectives within climate finance and policy. As a member of the Study team, I see this as more than a research project—it is an opportunity to shift the global conversation.

For years, Indigenous Peoples have said: “We are actively contributing to climate solutions.” The Study aims to prove that with data—tracking how Indigenous territories support both mitigation and adaptation, and spotlighting real-world examples in biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.

A young Miskitu boy shows his day’s catch in the Indigenous community of Leimus, along the Wangki (Río Coco). Nicaragua. Credit: Eileen Mairena Cunningham.

Existing research shows that even small-scale funding drives impactful local change, revealing not only that traditional knowledge works, but that Indigenous Peoples can successfully manage and implement funds. The message is clear: with more support, we could scale this work exponentially.

Beyond showcasing Indigenous Peoples’ contributions, the Study also explores the policy and legal frameworks that enable or constrain Indigenous climate action. In countries where Indigenous Peoples have secure land rights and are recognized as self-determined actors, the impact is consistently stronger, underscoring that legal recognition and governance structures must be a foundation of effective climate policy.

One of our goals is to ensure Indigenous-led conservation approaches are embedded into countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). For example, Nepal's NAP includes measures aimed at enhancing the adaptive capacity of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, acknowledging their unique contributions to climate resilience. Also, Canada's NDC commits a specific budget to support climate actions within Indigenous territories, recognizing their vital role in addressing climate change. A few countries are doing this already, but the opportunities for broader adoption and replication are enormous. 

Ultimately, we want the Study to identify Indigenous knowledge systems, leadership, and governance structures that are ready to scale. If embraced by climate finance institutions, the Study could be a game-changer - transforming how funds are allocated and making space for a more just and effective climate finance architecture that centers Indigenous leadership.