A/HRC/34/49 that the benefits arising from utilization of genetic resources and traditional knowledge are shared in a fair and equitable way with the communities concerned (art. 5). 61. The Conference of the Parties has taken a number of other decisions that recognize and support the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the protection of biodiversity, 86 including by encouraging the parties to the Convention to support their management of ICCAs and protected areas.87 The strategic plan for 2011-2020 (see paras. 45-46 above) includes the goals of restoring and safeguarding ecosystems that provide essential services, taking into account the needs of indigenous and local communities as well as women, the poor and the vulnerable (target 14) and respecting and fully integrating the traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous and local communities in the implementation of the Convention (target 18). Some States have reported significant progress in supporting the traditional and participatory management of natural resources.88 62. Conservation organizations have also committed to respect and support the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. In Durban in 2003, the World Parks Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an umbrella organization with more than 1,000 members, including States, government agencies and civil society organizations, adopted a new paradigm for protected areas. Replacing exclusionary “fortress” models of conservation, the Durban Accord announced, among other things, that protected areas should be established and managed in full compliance with the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (see A/71/229, paras. 39-41). Subsequent IUCN World Parks and World Conservation Congresses have continued to endorse and develop this approach, including by expressing support for ICCAs. 63. Despite these commitments, however, substantial gaps in implementation remain. In December 2016, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity noted “the limited progress made towards Aichi Biodiversity Targets 18 and 14 at the national level and in mainstreaming Article 8 (j) and related provisions into various areas of work under the Convention, including capacity development and the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in the work of the Convention”, and also noted with concern that only a limited number of national biodiversity strategies and action plans even refer to indigenous peoples and local communities or customary sustainable use. 89 Similarly, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples has identified shortcomings in implementation of the Durban commitments, including the failure of IUCN and most other conservation organizations to institute effective grievance mechanisms (see A/71/229, para. 49). On a more positive note, in 2016 the World Conservation Congress amended the IUCN statute to make it easier for indigenous peoples’ organizations to join IUCN, which should facilitate closer ties with conservation organizations. 64. Other good practices in support of indigenous peoples and local communities also deserve to be highlighted and replicated. A shining example is the Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which over the past 25 years has funded 20,000 projects in over 125 countries through grants averaging about $25,000 each. Nearly half of the grants have supported indigenous and local efforts aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. On his visit to Madagascar, the Special Rapporteur observed how one of these 86 87 88 89 20 See, e.g., decision XIII/18, which contains the Mo’otz Kuxtal voluntary guidelines on measures to ensure the free, prior and informed consent, or approval and involvement, of indigenous peoples and local communities; and decision VII/16, which contains the Akwé: Kon voluntary guidelines for the conduct of social and environmental impact assessments. See, e.g., decision XII/12 and decision VII/28. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Biodiversity Outlook 4, pp. 85 and 115. Decision XIII/1, paras. 8-9.