THE LIVING CONVENTION VOLUME I

The Living Convention Volume I is a comprehensive guide and compendium published by Natural Justice in 2020. It democratizes international law by aggregating disparate legal provisions from human rights instruments and multilateral environmental agreements into a single, accessible resource. The document is specifically designed to empower Indigenous peoples, local communities, and peasants to assert their rights regarding the interrelationships between humans and nature, including land tenure, biodiversity, climate change, and traditional knowledge.

• The compendium organizes international law into two primary categories: substantive rights, which define the 'what' (e.g., life, dignity, land tenure), and procedural rights, which define the 'how' (e.g., access to information, participation, and access to justice).
• Indigenous peoples have a collective right to self-determination, which allows them to freely determine their political status and pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development.
• International standards mandate that Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories; any relocation requires their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and agreement on just and fair compensation.
• Peasants and rural workers possess the right to seeds, which includes the right to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seeds or propagating material, as well as the right to protect traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
• The document emphasizes the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a critical procedural safeguard before the adoption of legislative or administrative measures that may affect Indigenous peoples.
• Indigenous and local communities are recognized as holders of traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices; access to this knowledge should be subject to their prior informed consent or approval.
• The compendium establishes that states should recognize and protect the legitimate tenure rights of Indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems, including ancestral lands.
• Regarding climate change, the document asserts that peasants and rural workers have the right to contribute to the design and implementation of national and local adaptation and mitigation policies using traditional knowledge.
• The guide highlights the right of Indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social, and cultural institutions, including the right to participate in the State's political life if they choose.
• The document advocates for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge held by Indigenous and local communities.
• The compendium identifies a right to a healthy environment, stating that every person has the right to live in an environment adequate to their health and well-being.

APA

Natural Justice (2020). THE LIVING CONVENTION VOLUME I. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Living-Convention-Vol-I.-Compendium-3rd-edition-2020.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. THE LIVING CONVENTION VOLUME I. 2020. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Living-Convention-Vol-I.-Compendium-3rd-edition-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=THE LIVING CONVENTION VOLUME I |date=2020 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Living-Convention-Vol-I.-Compendium-3rd-edition-2020.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2020living, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{THE LIVING CONVENTION VOLUME I}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2020}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Living-Convention-Vol-I.-Compendium-3rd-edition-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }