Bridging the Gaps

The article presents the authors’ ideas concerning the legal nature of land rights of indigenous small-numbered peoples in Russia. It should be noted that land rights of indigenous small-numbered peoples are part of their special constitutional legal personality, an essential element of their legal status. On the basis of international acts on the rights of indigenous peoples, the opportunity to give indigenous small-numbered peoples of Russia their traditional land to use on the grounds of ownership is assessed as non-promising. The article scrutinises the system of land rights of indigenous small-numbered peoples that is established in Russia. The authors point to the imperfection of the legislation in this area, which may lead to violation of the rights of indigenous small-numbered peoples. It should be noted that one of the most important state guarantees is the right of indigenous small-numbered peoples to free and indefinite use of lands.

Every State wants a condition in which the people have a prominent level of welfare and prosperity, because that condition can reflect how a state has been successful in carrying out its development. The existence of development that can lead to prominent level of welfare and prosperity, certainly, shows the success of a state in achieving the state's goals. But in practice it is often found that the people of a state do not have a prominent level of welfare and prosperity due to the unprotected rights of the people. The lack protection rights of the people are one form of social problems; which of course requires a very fast handling. Therefore, in general, every state tries, so that the protection rights of the people can be fulfilled. Similarly, for the state of Indonesia, the protection of communal customderived land rights (ulayat rights) of indigenous peoples is one of the tasks that must be fulfilled by the government. The effort is not easy; therefore, needs a thorough study to overcome the problem. The method used in this research is a normative juridical method. The results of the study, indicate the role of government in regulating the recognition forms of the rights of indigenous peoples, especially, communal custom-derived land rights of indigenous people. In addition, there are various substances of legislation that must be regulated in order to recognize communal custom-derived land rights of indigenous people such as how to recognize indigenous peoples, their recognition procedures, indigenous peoples' obligations, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Finally, regulation about recognition of indigenous peoples is expected to have an impact on the economic development of indigenous peoples itself.

Досліджено нормативно-правовий та інституційно-адміністративний механізм державного управління сталим розвитком аграрного сектору та сільських територій. Проаналізовано міжнародний досвід запровадження принципів сталого розвитку. На основі проведеного аналізу запропоновано алгоритм запровадження основ концепції сталого розвитку України, а саме: прийняття національної стратегії сталого розвитку “Україна – 2030”, відповідно до Глобальних цілей сталого розвитку (далі – ЦСР), прийнятих Генеральною Асамблеєю Організації Об’єднаних Націй (далі – ООН) 25 вересня 2015 р. “Перетворення нашого світу: Порядок денний сталого розвитку 2030”, який вміщує 17 Глобальних ЦСР до 2030 р.; Указу Президента України “Цілі сталого розвитку України на період до 2030 року” від 30.09.2019 р. Зазначено, що в рамках національної стратегії повинна бути розроблена програма сталого розвитку аграрного сектору та сільських територій. Адже для досягнення 2-ї Цілі “Подолання голоду, досягнення продовольчої безпеки, поліпшення харчування та сприяння сталому сільському господарству” саме аграрний сектор та сільські громади мають вирішальну роль. Запропоновано удосконалення адміністративно-інституціонального механізму управління сталим розвитком, а саме створення державного комітету із сталого розвитку, підпорядкованого Кабінету Міністрів України, для здійснення координаційної діяльності всіх міністерств та відомств у напрямку запровадження стратегії сталого розвитку. Розглянуто методи побудови механізмів державного управління сталим розвитком, які враховують інтереси усіх зацікавлених сторін, базуються на моделі “державно-приватного” партнерства, а також методах горизонтальної та вертикальної інтеграції, враховуючи альтернативи розвитку держави, специфіку аграрного сектору економіки, потреб сільських територіальних громад у напрямку досягнення ЦСР.

The decision to build a new capital on the Kalimantan Island called Nusantara caused various conflicts, such as the neglect and marginalization of indigenous peoples and the ignoring of their certainty of access and meaningful participation. This paper explains how the substance of the Nusantara Capital development regulation is to provide full protection to Indigenous peoples or vice versa, how it impacts the protection of Indigenous people's rights, as well as how the affirmative action model fulfills the rights of Indigenous peoples in the Nusantara Capital area. Through a socio-legal approach as the method, the results of the study found that the constitution has regulated the recognition of indigenous peoples, but in the substance of regulations related to the Nusantara capital, the phrases that regulate are very weak. The phrases used do not explicitly ensure the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, which has an impact on various neglect of the existence of indigenous peoples. As a result, a model of affirmative action is needed for indigenous peoples in the regulation of the Nusantara capital. This includes ensuring access for indigenous peoples to be involved in policymaking. Furthermore, transparency of information in the development of the Nusantara capital is important to formulate policies that accommodate the protection and fulfillment of the rights of indigenous peoples. It is important to ensure the recognition of indigenous peoples and their living space through an affirmative action model regulated by the head of the Nusantara capital authority.

This article calls for the need for integration of physical literacy into Physical Education (PE) curricula in Africa to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and climate action (SDG 13). Traditional PE often emphasizes competitive sports and physical benchmarks, overlooking inclusive, ecological, and lifelong development. Physical literacy defined by motivation, confidence, competence, and knowledge for lifelong physical activity offers a transformative approach to align PE with sustainability goals. The proposed framework promotes active lifestyles, inclusive teaching practices, and environmental stewardship through curriculum redesign, teacher training, outdoor learning, community engagement, and multidimensional assessments. Despite challenges such as limited resources, lack of teacher preparedness, and definitional ambiguity, opportunities exist through technology, cultural relevance, and alignment with global Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) goals. By embedding physical literacy, PE can become a vehicle for nurturing health-conscious, environmentally aware, and socially responsible individuals. This article reimagines PE as a critical tool for addressing modern health, education, and environmental challenges, advocating for systemic reforms that position physical literacy at the core of sustainable development strategies. The urgency of this transformation underscores the need for equity, inclusivity, and intersectoral collaboration in educational practice.

Whither the Aborigine

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the impact of implementing the Sustainable Development ‎Goals (SDGs) on community growth and Income using a quantitative approach. ‎ Design/methodology/approach: This study employs SEM-PLS analysis using the WarpPLS ‎‎8.0 analysis tool, chosen due to its ability to analyze complex relationships between variables ‎through structural models. ‎ Findings: The results of the analysis show that the SDGs have a positive and significant ‎influence on growth, with a regression coefficient (β) value of 0.90 and a p-value of 0.01, which ‎is smaller than the significance level of 0.05, indicating that the achievement of the SDGs ‎contributes significantly to the increase in economic growth rate. In addition, the SDGs also ‎have a positive and significant effect on people's Income, with a β value of 0.95 and a p-value ‎of 0.01, which is also smaller than 0.05. These findings show that the implementation of the ‎SDGs principles can accelerate economic growth and increase people's Income. Therefore, ‎development policies that support the achievement of the SDGs are critical to encouraging ‎sustainable economic welfare, and sustainable development policies to prioritize the ‎achievement of the SDGs goals to support long-term financial welfare.‎ Practical implications: By systematically tracking these metrics, stakeholders can begin to ‎quantify how and to what extent CBD and SDG-integrated development in Nusantara influences ‎economic growth, people's incomes, and social-environmental wellbeing, grounding bold ‎national goals in tangible, measurable outcomes.‎ Social implications: The development of Nusantara's CBD presents a pivotal opportunity to ‎create a just, inclusive, and culturally rooted capital if social dimensions are prioritized, ‎including the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. Empower ‎communities in design and implementation. Foster inclusive spaces and equitable housing. ‎Promote social cohesion through cultural preservation. Monitor outcomes through SDG-aligned, ‎transparent frameworks. This is a rare opportunity for a socially resilient capital one that ‎reflects the SDG vision in motion, not just concrete and towers.‎ Research limitations/implications: To robustly measure the impacts of CBD SDG on growth ‎and Income in Nusantara-affected populations, research must: bridge data and voice gaps ‎through mixed methods, apply rigorous quasi-experimental designs with control comparisons, ‎and Track outcomes longitudinally aligned with SDG metrics. Embed equity, ecological, and ‎governance dimensions into all analyses.‎ Originality/value: By emphasizing the fusion of CBD planning, SDG integration, and local ‎Income methodological innovation, your research will stand out as an original and valuable ‎contribution, offering both academic rigor and high policy utility for Nusantara and beyond.

Indigenous Homeland Security: A Proposed United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the International Law of First Contact

Despite a clear mandate for addressing gender equality in climate policy and action, gender considerations tend to be sidelined or watered down at national/program levels. The Green Climate Fund is well placed to help bridge this gap and contribute toward a global vision to address gender equality and women's empowerment in climate policy and action. For this, the updated gender policy of the Green Climate Fund must be guided by a 'gender-responsive' approach, and hence move beyond the 'gender-sensitive' approach of the current gender policy. The objectives of the new gender policy should be two-fold: (i) advance gender equality and women's empowerment through climate change mitigation and/or adaptation actions; (ii) minimize gender-related risks and safeguard women's rights in all climate change actions. The Gender Policy and Action Plan need to be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This will allow for clearer sets of targets and progress indicators for assessing the Fund's contribution toward enhancing gender equality and women's empowerment (SDG5).Key pointsDespite a clear mandate for addressing gender equality in climate policy and action, gender considerations tend to be sidelined or watered down at national/program levels. The Green Climate Fund is well placed to help bridge this gap and contribute toward a global vision to address gender equality and women's empowerment in climate policy and action.For this, the updated gender policy of the Green Climate Fund must be guided by a 'gender-responsive' approach, and hence move beyond the 'gender-sensitive' approach of the current gender policy.The objectives of the new gender policy should be two-fold: (i) advance gender equality and women's empowerment through climate change mitigation and/or adaptation actions; (ii) minimize gender-related risks and safeguard women's rights in all climate change actions.The Gender Policy and Action Plan need to be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This will allow for clearer sets of targets and progress indicators for assessing the Fund's contribution toward enhancing gender equality and women's empowerment (SDG5).

Achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 remains a significant challenge, with 30% of targets showing no progress, regression, or severe deviations. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is a valuable method for monitoring and accelerating progress toward sustainable development by evaluating systems, processes, or products from environmental, economic, and societal perspectives. This work provides insights for integrating SDGs into LCT and advancing sustainability science. The study utilized bibliometric analysis of 21,783 publications from 2013 to 2022 to map LCT research to SDGs. It introduces a novel framework for integrating the SDGs into LCT studies, allowing for comprehensive assessments across environmental, societal, and economic dimensions. Thematic analysis identified five main areas of focus: waste management, infrastructure, agriculture, energy transitions, and integrated approaches to sustainable development. The highest emphasis was on SDGs 7 (Affordable Energy), 8 (Decent Work), 9 (Industry and Innovation), 12 (Responsible Consumption), and 13 (Climate Action). The study identified key institutions, journals, and countries contributing significantly to achieving SDGs through LCA and discussed future research topics with potential for shaping strategies towards a sustainable future. This research highlights innovation and evidence-based solutions in critical areas such as clean energy, sustainable urban development, and environmental conservation towards addressing SDGs. The prominence analysis revealed 23 topical clusters, with significant contributions in energy, construction, and pollution control aligning with multiple SDGs. However, the need for collaborative research and policy-making is evident in clusters like corporate social responsibility, supply chains, and air quality, which currently have fewer mappings to SDGs.

This research paper delves into the critical intersection of green hotel practices and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the context of India. Focusing on four SDGs—Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and Climate Action (SDG 13)—the study explores the perceptions of environmental management representatives in India’s four and five-star hotels. Through a comprehensive analysis of survey data from 32 participants, the research uncovers a multifaceted landscape where proactive engagement with green practices is evident. Key findings reveal that hotels in India have a commendable commitment to environmental sustainability, actively aligning with these SDGs. Notable practices include the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, waste reduction and responsible waste management, and proactive steps in climate change mitigation. However, challenges persist, particularly concerning the limited adoption of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. This study offers a nuanced perspective on the hotel industry’s contribution to SDGs, underscoring both commendable achievements and areas for further improvement. The findings hold valuable implications for policymakers, hoteliers, and sustainability advocates, emphasizing the industry’s pivotal role in achieving global sustainability objectives.

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contribute to addressing the multiple and complex challenges faced by humankind. In particular, the increasing impact of climate change and globalization represent a great challenge for the sustainable development of Arctic countries and efforts are needed to measure, assess, and compare the progress toward SDGs and the trends in this region. This study used 69 indicators closely related to Arctic countries and a composite indicator approach to assess their sustainability performance. SDG interlinkages were also assessed through Spearman's rank order correlation. The results showed that the sustainable development of Arctic countries gradually improved from 2000 to 2020, with increasing scores recorded for 82% of the goals and 73% of the indicators. Overall, significant progress was observed in the SDG 10 (reduction of inequality), SDG 3 (health improvement), and SDG 4 (quality of education). The highest-ranking scores were obtained for poverty reduction (SDG 1), SDG 3, and climate actions (SDG 13) in 2020. Over the 21-year period, Sweden reached the highest overall score for sustainable development, and Russia showed the greatest improvement. Synergies dominated over trade-offs among and within SDGs. SDGs 1, 3, 9, 10, and 11 presented a relatively higher proportion of synergies, while higher proportions of trade-offs were observed for the 8–9, 8–11, 3–12, and 10–12 SDG pairs. The associations of industry development with clean energy use and environmental conservation were strengthened during the study period. However, the performance varied greatly for different indicators, goals, and their correlations among Arctic countries. The results indicate that the main challenges for these countries in relation to SDGs consist in promoting an inclusive economic model as well as sustainable consumption and production patterns.

This brief presents a review of 161 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted on behalf of 188 countries for COP 21 to determine the extent to which Parties made clear commitments to strengthen or expand the tenure and natural resource management rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as part of their climate change mitigation plans or associated adaptation actions. Of the 161 INDCs submitted, 131 are from countries with tropical and subtropical forests.

Contemporary patterns of industrialisation and urban expansion have intensified resource extraction and ecological degradation, raising concerns that conventional growth trajectories are incompatible with long-term human well-being. The sustainable development paradigm, consolidated in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reframes development as a simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental integrity (United Nations, 2015). While this discourse is global, its institutional realisation is mediated by national constitutional frameworks. India presents a particularly significant case. The Constitution embeds a dense architecture of socio-economic rights, Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) and Fundamental Duties, which the higher judiciary has progressively interpreted to include a right to live in a clean and healthy environment, a right to food, and a broad right to health under Article 21 (Constitution of India; Gill, 2021; Singh, 2025). Recent decisions have gone further to recognise protection from the adverse effects of climate change as a fundamental right linked to Articles 14 and 21, thereby constitutionalising climate-related aspects of sustainable development (Verfassungsblog, 2024; Columbia Law, 2024). This qualitative doctrinal article examines sustainable development in India from a constitutional perspective. Drawing on constitutional provisions, recent Supreme Court jurisprudence, and national SDG monitoring instruments such as the SDG India Index 2023-24, the study analyses how selected SDGs particularly those relating to poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, energy, work, inequality and sustainable cities (SDGs 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 10-12) are normatively anchored in India’s constitutional order (NITI Aayog, 2024; MOSPI, 2024). The analysis suggests that Indian constitutionalism offers a robust, though uneven, foundation for SDG implementation: it is particularly strong on social and environmental dimensions, but implementation gaps, institutional capacity constraints and unresolved tensions between growth and ecological limits persist. The article lays the groundwork for deeper empirical and comparative inquiries into how constitutional design and judicial practice shape sustainable development trajectories in the Global South.

Indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, as their livelihoods and ways of life depend heavily on natural resources impacted by climate variability and extremes. In addition, global climate governance and the implementation of climate projects often have damaging consequences on Indigenous peoples, including restricting their access to lands and resources. In this context, REDD+ as an international mechanism under the UNFCCC aimed at mitigating climate change through forest management, has raised concerns about its impact on the human rights of Indigenous peoples. To date, studies have shown that the implementation of REDD+ on a domestic level has had both negative and positive impacts in Indigenous peoples’ rights. Drawn from this tension, this article examines the relationship between the REDD+ mechanism and the rights of Indigenous peoples, focusing on its domestic operationalization in Chile.Chile, with a vast forest network in indigenous territories, offers valuable insights. The article highlights that REDD+ in Chile has allowed Indigenous peoples to incorporate their concerns into national forest governance and has facilitated project development in collaboration with Indigenous communities. These efforts have resulted in both financial and non-financial benefits for these communities. However, the analysis reveals that progress in promoting Indigenous peoples’ rights has been primarily in individual rights rather than their collective rights as peoples. While REDD+ in Chile has shown potential in promoting social and economic rights of Indigenous peoples, further attention is needed to address collective rights such as self-determination, land rights, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).