What Happens To The Vision When Founders Move On?
Build memory systems before you need them
Just returned from the 2025 UNPFII. Something was different this time.
Ivory towers being upheld, protected. Territorial lines being drawn.
It made me reflect on processes I've been involved in over the years. Particularly the LCIPP Facilitative Working Group.
Its 2024 mandate review could have been more than a technical rollover. It could have been a moment to strengthen and reinforce the founding vision. But without the original architects fully in the room, something was lost.
I'm wondering: how do we preserve the original intent of these hard-won spaces?
While navigating between multiple processes, I've been thinking about preventing institutional memory decay before it starts. Santiago Network on Loss and Damage and Article 6 market mechanisms are largely settled (still working on Non-Market Approaches). BBNJ and Human Rights Council engagement are still in full growth mode.
Perfect moment to build memory systems. Not after the fact. While the founders are still in the room.
The LCIPP experience was clarifying. When I couldn't engage deeply because I was focused on Article 6 negotiations (you can only be in so many rooms), something was lost. Not just a voice. A thread of continuity.
The pattern looks like this:
Original negotiators who fought for the platform rotate out
New representatives arrive without the founding context
Focus shifts from Indigenous knowledge systems to technical outputs
The revolutionary intent gets diluted meeting by meeting
For Indigenous Peoples who spent years securing the UNPFII space, I can imagine this silent drift not to be just frustrating. But more like a profound strategic threat.
What I'm testing now:
Creating shareable "origin story" documents that new negotiators can receive before their first meeting
Building relationship maps showing who shaped which elements and why
Regular "founding vision" sessions where original architects reconnect current work to initial purpose
This isn't about nostalgia. It's about reclaiming the original power and vision.
I'm curious if anyone else is watching this mission drift happen in their processes or negotiations.
Is this pattern playing out elsewhere?