World Economic Forum, COP28 and the Indigenous Factor: can we trust the future? 

World Economic Forum, COP28 and the Indigenous Factor: can we trust the future? 

Claudia Laricchia

Can the future be Smily?

A few days ago, the 54th edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ended with some relevant insights we all should take into consideration. Its main topic has been “trust”.

Can we trust the future? 

We do not know. 

What we know is that we can trust ourselves, without delegating our future and life. What we know, because science keeps reminding us of it, is that the most dangerous thing we can do to collapse and put life on Earth at a huge risk is just one thing: absolutely nothing. The business as usual will kill us for sure.

So what we know is that we must urgently act to change.

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What should we change? How? 

We should change the most relevant cause of the current disaster: ourselves. We should start from our inner level, our mindset, consciousness, our approach, perspective and then we should reconnect with the others and the Planet. We should embrace the indigenous factor, that regenerative mindset that allowed Indigenous Peoples to protect 85% of biodiversity and nature on Earth.

This week the 54th edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ended: 60 State leaders and 3,000 high level business representatives worked together as the voice of that 1% of the world population owning 45,6% of the world’s economic richness (according to the Global Wealth Report del Credit Suisse Research Institute). 

They defined the world as unequal and on the verge of collapse. And they are right.

They are right for many reasons. 

One of them is because they are deciding our future. The extractive mindset used to achieve just only economic results, exploiting resources and condemning humans must be replaced by a regenerative mindset, where the epicenter of development is human nature which simply is nature.

They are right because in the past 4 years, the 5 richest men in the world doubled their wealth. At the same time, in the past 4 years, 5 billion people became poorer. The goal no.1 “no poverty” of the Agenda 2030 has 230 years of delay and the goal no. 5 “Gender equality” has 300 years of delay. What are we talking about? And above all why do we keep talking and not acting to reverse this direction? 

Can we trust the future? How can we trust the future if we delegate it? It’s time to act and it’s time to involve humans and their consciousness, implementing transdisciplinary and intergenerational models to make a deep change happen. 

The Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Justice Forum implementing the special program Smily Academy represents about 400 million people from 90 Countries. We trust that the indigenous factor is crucial for a sustainable future and we trust that the Indigenous era has just started. 

The WEF Global Risks Report (https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/) and the Oxfam Report (https://www.oxfamitalia.org/disuguaglianza-il-potere-al-servizio-di-pochi/) should be read in the light of the recent framework defined after the COP28 in Dubai, ended about 4 weeks ago, where the urgency to finally abandon fossil fuels for an ecological transition was given a long term deadline: 2050.

This happens despite hundreds of scientists reminding us in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), give humanity 6 years (not 26!!!) to lower the CO2 emissions and avoid the “incalculable” damages for human health and the Planet connected with the raising of global warming up to 1,5°C. This means that the most dangerous thing to do now is doing nothing and keep maintaining the business as usual. 

What we know, we told you before, is that the most dangerous thing we can do to collapse and put life on Earth at a huge risk is just one thing: absolutely nothing. The business as usual will kill us for sure.

1. In this scenario, something is already happening: 
2. COP28 has been defined as the COP of Indigenous Peoples. 
3. During the WEF, the Indigenous Peoples Leadership and Knowledge Network has been launched https://initiatives.weforum.org/indigenous-network/home. 

Two of the most influential Indigenous leaders – Rituraj Phukan and Jadav Payeng, The Forest Man of India -, launched our Smily Academy, the first Indigenous program to train young talents in the iconic places of biodiversity and nature, teaching them the Indigenous factor and co-creating with them eco-businesses. 

Indigenous factor is already the most important seed of change we can harvest in the present to radically change this scenario. The mutual positive exchange of knowledge can allow a technological transfer to accelerate the process and co-create eco-businesses for the next generations to lead the change. 

So what we know is that we must urgently act to change. What should we change? How? 

From March 20 to 26 2024, the pilot Smily training will happen in Assam (India). About 30 people from Europe and India, will be in the headquarter of Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Justice Forum for experiencing a life changing week of co-creation of nature based and innovative solutions. Details and agenda: www.smilyacademy.org.

These pioneers will be guided by our founders and experts between Jorhat and Kaziranga. With us many partners such us ITIR, Institute of Transformative Innovation and Research of the University of Studies of Pavia and Edible Issues. 

The pilot training is divided into 4 learning phases: soul, reconnect with yourself; society, reconnect with the others; soil, reconnect with the Planet and smile, celebrate and scale up. The methodology is design thinking to find the perfect ikigai of every single participant and match talents and business ideas with the needs of the Earth.

Assam is the perfect hub to match spirituality, regenerative mindset, wildlife, biodiversity, forests with business opportunities that can contribute to scale up regenerative models. We will work on 3 challenges: floods, droughts and women empowerment. What if, on top of the project works, we are working on 3 further outcomes of the experience?

A scientific paper; a book and a photographic exhibition. Let us know if you wanna support or contribute to the experience, which will succeed because of the contribution of all of you. 

COP28 and WEF insights and keywords find in this pilot project some answers. Inequality, ecological transition, trust, climate emergency: with this program the 5% of the world population protecting the 85% of biodiversity while living with an average of 5$ per day, those who are less responsible for a world on the verge of collapse and are more damaged by its effects, are hosting in the heart of forests and jungle the future entrepreneurs, co-creating eco-business nature based and innovative solutions. 

This program will succeed if all of us will concretely contribute to make it happen with our talent, time, energy, trust, resources and the power of our imagination meeting the miracle to act together for a common vision and a common need: be healthy and joyful while protecting life on Earth. 

My name is Claudia Laricchia and I am the first westen person nominated by Rituraj Phukan and Jadav Payeng as Chief of Global Strategic Cooperation of the Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum. I can’t tell you if I feel more honored or responsible for an unprecedented position that I am living with a high respect for all the cultures involved. 

I am a European with Indigenous eyes. My life was dedicated to discover the wonders of the Planet and to study hard for better understanding it.

The day I was in front of Munmuni Payeng in her place in the heart of the jungle his father planted I told her something that resumes my feelings as a not Indigenous person leader of an Indigenous NGO: all the work I have been doing so far; all the lessons I’ve learnt so far and the woman I am now, unleash their sense in front of you. I was preparing myself to serve you.

I am looking forward to came back in India and make the first pilot happens. I ask all of you to act with us and show the world the Indigenous and the Indian way to a regenerative future. Be part of the Assamese experience and be the change we need now.

• – Claudia Laricchia

info@smilyacademy.org 

www.smilyacademy.org 

Chief of Global Strategic Cooperation – Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum
Professor at European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability
Al Gore’s The Climate Reality Project Climate Leader

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