UNEP & UNESCO Accredited NGO
Championing The Rights of Indigenous Peoples
About Us
Society of Native Nations (SNN) is a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) accredited non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to amplifying Indigenous perspectives and Indigenous knowledge to uphold the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Amplifying Indigenous leadership, knowledge systems, and cultural lifeways as essential to global sustainability, education, and peacebuilding.We believe that Indigenous communities hold invaluable wisdom and solutions for addressing the adverse cumulative impacts in our communities and creating a more sustainable world..
Rights Holders, Major Groups, and Stakeholders, represented by NGOs accredited to UNEP and UNESCO, can participate in the Assembly’s meetings and provide interventions. They play a central role in providing expertise, Indigenous and scientific knowledge, informing governments of local needs and opinions, identifying practical policy decisions.
One of UNEP's main duties is monitoring the global environmental situation to ensure that emerging problems and issues are appropriately addressed by governments. Accredited NGOs provide input to the development of strategies and participate in project implementation.
By participating in UNESCO’s global dialogue on education, science, and culture, SNN advocates for the recognition of Indigenous worldviews, the revitalization of our languages, and the transmission of ancestral knowledge rooted in place-based practices. We work to ensure that Indigenous voices, histories, and solutions are present and respected within international frameworks, and that our collective rights are upheld in the pursuit of sustainable development and mutual understanding.
Our Mission
- Elevate Indigenous Voices: We actively engage Indigenous leaders, communities, and organizations in international environmental dialogues, ensuring their concerns and solutions are heard at the highest levels.
- Protect Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge: We advocate for the recognition and protection of Indigenous environmental knowledge systems as essential tools for conservation and sustainable resource management.
- Promote Equitable Solutions: We work towards equitable environmental policies and practices that respect Indigenous rights, land tenure, and cultural heritage.
- Build Capacity: We support Indigenous-led initiatives in environmental conservation, climate resilience, Human Rights and sustainable development.
Our Focus Areas
- Sustainability & Preparedness: We champion Indigenous-led solutions that draw on Indigenous and raditional land management practices, ecological knowledge, and community resilience.
- Biodiversity Conservation: We advocate for the protection of Indigenous territories and sacred sites, recognizing their vital role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health.
- Sustainable Resource Management: We promote Indigenous approaches to resource management that prioritize long-term ecological balance and community well-being.
- Cumulative Harms: We stand with Indigenous communities in their fight against cumulative harms, including pollution, land dispossession, and displacement.
- Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC): Right of indigenous peoples to give or withhold consent to projects affecting their lands and resources
- Indigenous Leadership: Participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making processes.
- Community-Based Conservation: Conservation efforts led by Indigenous Peoples and their local communities
- Cultural Heritage Safeguards: Traditions, customs, and beliefs of Indigenous Peoples and communities must have security, protection and safeguards.
- Land Rights: Rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral lands
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
- Paris Agreement: A legally binding international treaty on climate change, aiming to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): A multilateral treaty focused on the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
- Indigenous Peoples' Rights: Rights that recognize and protect the distinct identities, cultures, and ways of life of indigenous peoples
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): The evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment.
- Indigenous Languages: The languages spoken by indigenous peoples, often deeply connected to their cultures, histories, and identities.
- Indigenous Women Participation: Women belonging to indigenous communities, often playing crucial roles in cultural preservation, environmental protection, and community leadership.
- Indigenous Youth Participation: Young people belonging to indigenous communities, who hold the future of their cultures and traditions.
Our Approach
- Partnership: We collaborate with Indigenous communities, organizations, governments, and international institutions to build trust, foster dialogue, and co-create solutions.
- Research: We conduct and support research that documents and validates Indigenous environmental knowledge, making it accessible to policymakers and practitioners.
- Advocacy: We engage in advocacy efforts at local, national, and international levels to influence environmental policy and practice in favor of Indigenous rights and knowledge.
- Capacity Building: We provide training, resources, and technical support to Indigenous communities and organizations to strengthen their capacity for environmental stewardship.
Get Involved
- Donate: Your contributions directly support our work to empower Indigenous voices for a sustainable future.
- Volunteer: Share your skills and passion by volunteering with our programs and initiatives.
- Stay Informed: Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our work and learn how you can make a difference.
- Partner with Us: If you're an organization or institution aligned with our mission, we welcome opportunities for collaboration.
Learn more about the UN Environment Programme (UNEP):
Learn more about the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Join us in the movement to recognize and uplift Indigenous knowledge for a healthier planet.
PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THESE PROGRAMS
Please donate secure via PayPal by credit card, check, or with your own PayPal account, you do not need a PayPal account to donate. All donations are very appreciated and all donations are used to help us facilitate our actions and programs.
You can also send a check made out to (Society of Native Nations) the address is:
Society of Native Nations
10730 Potranco Road Suite 122-282
San Antonio, TX 78251
Phone: 210-468-8201
"Society of Native Nations" (SNN) is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
Society of Native Nations - Federal IRS Tax Exemptions Identification Number # 81-0984252
