The emphasis of the CEESP Indigenous Peoples, Customary & Environmental Laws & Human Rights Specialist Group has been to contribute in the development of improved conservation practices with indigenous peoples based on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and linking it to existing IUCN commitments and mandates to ensure concrete recommendations for a rights-based approach, with specific emphasis on indigenous peoples' human rights within conservation.
The Indigenous Peoples, Customary & Environmental Laws & Human Rights Specialist Group (SPICEH), at its core, has a focus to deepen awareness, provide analysis, and offer recommendations for conservation that take into account indigenous peoples’ distinct human rights as it relates to their environment, lands, territories, and natural resources.
For indigenous peoples, their human rights are not separate from their lands and environment, therefore environmental and human rights must be fully integrated in all aspects of work.