“From the Amazon to Australia and from Africa to the Arctic, you are nature’s great guardians, a living library of biodiversity conservation and advocates for climate action.”said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in remarks during the opening ceremony.
Health inequalities persist
Delegates, many dressed in traditional clothing, gathered in the General Assembly Hall, where an Inuit leader from Canada, Aluki Kotierk, was re-elected president of the forum by acclamation.
Although indigenous peoples represent six percent of the world’s population, they represent almost 19 percent of those living in extreme poverty. Communities still face discrimination, marginalization and exclusion, and highlighted the health inequities they face.
Regardless of where they live in the world, indigenous people experience shorter life expectancy, a higher likelihood of chronic diseases and alarming suicide rates, he said.
“The degradation of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and waters directly contributes to these poor health outcomes,” he added, with communities reporting issues such as mercury pollution and the impacts of climate change.
Aluki Kotierk (centre), Inuk leader of Canada and former president of Nunavut Tunngavik, presides over the opening of the 25th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
Interconnected and inseparable
Ms. Kotierk explained that for indigenous peoples, “Health and well-being is more than just physical and mental health. It is interconnected with our culture, spirituality, languages, our lands and our environment..”
He argued that health systems and understandings around health “must be decolonized to recognize this interconnection and incorporate the holistic and self-determined approaches to health of indigenous peoples.”
The Secretary-General underlined how their rights are inseparable from their lands, waters, languages, cultures and ecosystems, and emphasized that when one is harmed, all are affected.
“This is especially true in the context of conflict, when displacement from ancestral lands, loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, destruction of sacred sites and disruption of cultural traditions can put health at risk,” he said.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock addresses the opening of the 25th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
“A moral failure”
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock addressed how land loss, displacement and marginalization have caused communities to suffer higher rates of disease, malnutrition and preventable ailments, while life expectancy can be up to 20 years shorter.
“Indigenous women face particularly serious risks, including disproportionately high maternal and infant mortality rates.“, said.
“This is not just a moral failure: it is a developmental failure. The health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples is both a measure of our progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and a condition for achieving them..”
Honor commitments, promote participation
The Secretary General recognized Indigenous Peoples as “bearers of cultures, knowledge and ways of life that have sustained humanity for thousands of years.”
Highlighting that their participation in global decision-making has never been more critical, he outlined four priorities for action, the first urging Member States to fulfill their commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In the meantime, the United Nations system and Member States must ensure the full, meaningful and direct participation of indigenous peoples at all levels, supported by adequate and sustained funding.
He called on societies around the world to take immediate and concrete measures to protect indigenous peoples, their leaders and human rights defenders, and to address the violence and risks they face.
The final area of action is to ensure that Indigenous women and girls can meaningfully participate in decisions that affect their lives, as “their knowledge, leadership and perspectives must determine the path forward.”
Discussion forum
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) was established in July 2000 as a high-level advisory body to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
It is mandated to address issues in six areas: economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights.
The 25th session will be held from April 20 to May 1 and will address a number of key issues, including those related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.