'Self-Determination as Voice' - Natalie Jones

Dr Natalie Jones

Natalie is a Policy Advisor at the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) and a By-Fellow at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. She completed her LLB(Hons) and BSc in physics from the University of Canterbury, and her LLM and PhD at the University of Cambridge. Following her PhD, she was a post-doctoral Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, where she remains affiliated. Previously, Natalie worked as a judges' clerk at the High Court of New Zealand, and has interned at the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defence, and the Climate Litigation Network.

Self-Determination as Voice (2024)

Book Blurb: Self-Determination as Voice addresses the relationship between Indigenous peoples' participation in international governance and the law of self-determination. Many states and international organizations have put in place institutional mechanisms for the express purpose of including Indigenous representatives in international policy-making and decision-making processes, as well as in the negotiation and drafting of international legal instruments. Indigenous peoples' rights have a higher profile in the UN system than ever before. This book argues that the establishment and use of mechanisms and policies to enable a certain level of Indigenous peoples' participation in international governance has become a widespread practice, and perhaps even one that is accepted as law. In theory, the law of self-determination supports this move, and it is arguably emerging as a rule of customary international law. However, ultimately the achievement of the ideal of full and effective participation, in a manner that would fulfil Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination, remains deferred.

What made you write on this topic?

I originally got interested in non-state actors’ participation in international governance when I was a New Zealand youth delegate at the UN climate conference, COP 19, in 2013. Aside from government negotiators, there were a whole range of people present and trying to make their mark in the talks - from youth delegates like myself, to farmers, trade unionists, women’s groups, representatives of environmental organizations, and, of course, Indigenous peoples. Having grown up in Aotearoa New Zealand, colonial histories and ongoing realities were always apparent - and decolonial movements a source of inspiration. The case of Indigenous peoples’ representation intrigued me because, unlike other would-be COP participants, it struck me that here were peoples attempting to exercise their collective rights. I was interested to discover what, legally speaking, underlay this exercise, and in what other forums Indigenous peoples were participating. The UNFCCC COPs became one of the case studies in my book.

How long did it take to produce your book from initial conception to publication?

About seven years. I wrote the PhD thesis on which the book is based between 2016 and 2019. I then took about a year off from the project, before working on the book intensively between late 2020 and 2022. And then, somehow, the publication process takes longer than one might expect!

What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

The most difficult part of writing this book was maintaining, for years, the level of self-belief (or self-delusion) required to say that I was even capable of writing and publishing a book. Fortunately, I had many people around me to prop me up when necessary! Aside from that, I had the greatest difficulty in deciding how to structure the abundance of material. I ended up significantly changing the structure in the book as compared with the thesis, which I certainly hope improves the narrative.

Why should people read your book?

I think the book tells a fascinating story: how, over the course of several decades, global Indigenous peoples’ movements have almost entirely altered the picture of international governance. Long gone are the days when Indigenous peoples’ representatives were simply dismissed from the halls of international power. There has been a concerted shift across the spectrum of international organizations towards inclusion - even if it may not yet live up to the full promise of self-determination. My greatest hope is that the book may be of use to people at the forefront of the project of expanding and deepening Indigenous peoples’ participation in international fora. 

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I always enjoy a good novel, and I’ve just finished re-reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Next up is Backwaters by Emma Ling Sidnam.

What are you working on now?

Since 2022 I have been working as a policy advisor for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a research-led think tank. I work in a team that has two objectives: a managed phase-out of oil and gas production, and an end to public finance for coal, oil and gas. My work has a dual research and advocacy focus, so I spend a good chunk of my time talking to policymakers as well as a lot of time buried in reports and data. I work on a variety of interesting files, including a first-mover coalition on ending international public finance for fossil fuels, the transition pathways for national oil companies, UNFCCC negotiations on fossil fuel phase out, and OECD negotiations on restricting export finance for oil and gas. For me, it has been a timely change from academia, although I sometimes miss the uninterrupted library time of my former roles.