7th Meeting, 19th Session Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP)

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to this morning's session. Before continuing, I would like to recall that the United Nations promotes dialogue and exchanges between different actors with a view to promoting sustainable peace, development, and human rights. All participants are encouraged to contribute to EMRIP in a spirit of constructive, multi-stakeholder dialogue, keeping a focus on the theme of the discussion. The meetings of the Expert Mechanism, as any UN system events, are guided by the highest ethical and professional standards, and all participants are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards all participants attending or involved with any meeting of EMRIP. We count on your cooperation to ensure that these standards are adhered to by all participants in this session. We ask that all participants exercise decorum, avoid abusive or disrespectful language, or derogatory or inflammatory remarks. According to the UN rules, distribution of any materials as well as the use of photography or other forms of recorded equipment is prohibited, in Room 19, except for accredited members of the media. Thank you. Distinguished Indigenous representatives, Excellencies, colleagues, and friends, it is indeed my honour to open this agenda item on preparations for the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As set out in our concept note, the 2027 commemoration is much more than a symbolic milestone. It provides a crucial opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved since the Declaration's adoption in 2007, to acknowledge the gaps that persist, and also to renew our collective commitment to its— to fulfill its effective implementation. As a subsidiary body of the Human Rights Council, EMRIP was established to provide expertise and support on the rights contained in the Declaration. This discussion invites us to reflect on how EMRIP, States, Indigenous Peoples, and all partners can strengthen implementation efforts over the coming years. Over the past 2 decades, many States, Indigenous Peoples, have worked to develop laws, policies, and governance frameworks inspired by the principles set out and underscored within the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Some have adopted national strategies or national action plans. Others have advanced constitutional recognition or created participatory institutions. Yet, unfortunately, the levels of progress has been uneven. And it's absolutely important that we address these implementation gaps. Meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples in all these processes must remain a cornerstone from design to implementation, and then of course to monitoring. This concept note also highlights ongoing challenges. We have to think about, of course, free, prior, and informed consent, that continues to be an area of both progress and concern. While some states have incorporated free, prior, and informed consent into legislation or practice, Indigenous peoples continue to report barriers in ensuring it is applied evenly and early and consistently and also in good faith. Structural changes and challenges such as inefficient resources, political resistance, and discrimination, and limited accountability mechanisms further hinder the realization of the Declaration. Addressing this requires dedicated political will, financing, and mechanisms developed in partnership with Indigenous peoples. At the same time, however, we do have valuable examples of good practice: national action plans, strengthened participatory institutions, and legislation that actually integrates the Declaration standards and monitoring mechanisms that enhance transparency. These examples, what they do is they remind us that progress is achievable and should guide how we approach the 2027 anniversary. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, the Expert Mechanism believes several priorities are essential. Strengthening national implementation frameworks, centering Indigenous-led monitoring, ensuring the realization of free, prior, and informed consent across all areas of decision-making, addressing structural discrimination, supporting capacity building for both duty bearers and rights holders, and enhancing coherence across the UN system in advancing the the implementation of the Declaration. So as we begin today's discussion, I invite contributions that reflect on progress, identify those remaining challenges, and also offer concrete proposals to strengthen the implementation of the Declaration. These reflections, what they will do, this will help shape the road towards 2027 and also beyond. I look forward to hearing your insights and experiences, which will support the Expert Mechanism in advancing our shared commitment to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Thank you. I would now like to turn to the list of speakers. I now invite— before that, whether my colleagues on the Mechanism would like to make Any comments before I turn to the list of speakers? I don't see any, so with that I will turn to the list of speakers. As mentioned, I'd like to call a Burundi. You have the floor.

Madam Chair, on behalf of the Government of Burundi and as a member of the Batwa Indigenous Peoples, I would like to commend the work of the Expert Mechanism and the preparation of the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This declaration remains a reference instrument, the most comprehensive one for the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples. Burundi would like to reaffirm its significant commitment to its full implementation. Over the last 2 decades, Burundi has made significant headway in favor of the Batwa indigenous peoples. Our constitution reserves 3 member of parliaments at the deputy level and 3 seats for senators for the indigenous peoples. We also have a member of the Legislative Assembly from Eastern Africa and a member of the government, as well as several officials on the states who come from indigenous peoples. Moreover, specific social measures have been taken, and we also hold the celebration of the Indigenous Peoples' Today, with the presence of the President of the Republic, Burundi is well aware that challenges remain and that we need additional efforts. In this regard, the President of the Republic and the exercising President of the African Union have recognized the steps made in favor of indigenous peoples and will take corrective and inclusive measures to address the shortcomings that remain. In this context, social and economic assistance for those who are in difficulty and for the Batwa has been established from that look to— since 2023, rather. And we are also committed in Burundi to implementing the measures that are enshrined in our Constitution in order to protect and promote the rights of Indigenous peoples. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. I now like to give the floor to the Itoman History Association. It's a joint statement with the Okinawa Policy Research Forum of Japan. Mr. Tomi, you have the floor. I don't see the organization in the room. It— So I will turn—

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Takahumi Tome, a member of the Itoman City Council in Okinawa, Japan. For the UNDRIP to benefit local communities, it is important to respect the decisions of democratically elected local assemblies. We respect the right of people to identify themselves as indigenous. However, recognizing a group as indigenous when many of the people concerned do not share that view may create unnecessary confusion and division. The Itomashite Council, together with the other local assemblies in Okinawa, has formally adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of the United Nations recommendation concerning indigenous peoples in Okinawa. This resolution reflects the views expressed expressed through democratic local decision-making. As EMRIP looks to the next 20 years, we respectfully encourage into strong fact-finding process before making recommendations. This process should include hearing directly from local public authorities and confirming the factual basis of the information it receives. Carefully fact-finding will help maintain the impartiality, credibility, and authority of the United Nations. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the United Confederation of the Taino People.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The United Confederation of Taino People was proudly one of the indigenous peoples organizations who took part in the process of the negotiations for the creation and adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are grateful to share that we have seen more initiatives to respect the process of free, prior, and informed consent from universities rather than we have from member states in our region. Well, our perception has been that the United States infers the declaration to be only applicable to U.S. federally recognized tribes, the United Confederation of Taíno People, brought this issue a few years ago while attending the Permanent Forum to the attention of the US delegate, the then Director of Native American Affairs at the federal level. They provided their federal agencies in Boricuén, which you know as Puerto Rico, procedures on how to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples of non-federally recognized tribes. These agencies have made no attempt to uphold our rights hence lacking to fulfill their commitments as duty holders. In 2022, during the review of the United States on the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD, our organization provided a shadow report, met with the committee, and they made a recommendation and had asked the US specifically about how they were upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples in our case, Taíno peoples. Yet in closing, I have to say that there has been no, no progress from part of the state to uphold our rights. And in closing, Articles 41 and 42 of the Declaration have a commitment of implementation, and however, we are only seeing undermining of the Declaration in many UN spaces. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. I now would I would like to give the floor to Guatemala.

Hello, buenos días. Good morning. The question is, what structural and political challenges or resource-related challenges continue to impede the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. How can these challenges be addressed in cooperation with Indigenous Peoples? GANRI welcomes this opportunity to think about the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Since its adoption in 2007, the visibility and normative recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples has increased at the international and regional levels. However, this has not led systematically to formal recognition nor to effective implementation at the national level, and progress continues to be uneven and in many contexts very limited. A key gap remains the effective implementation of free, prior, and informed consent and the meaningful participation in decision-making. All too often, Indigenous Peoples continue to be consulted in ways which are not fully inclusive nor timely nor capable of having a real bearing on the final decisions, especially when it relates to matters that have a direct impact on their land, territories, and resources. These challenges are closely tied to persistent shortcomings in recognition and the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to land, territories, and resources. These remain essential for their effective participation in decision-making. As a result, Participation tends to take place in contexts in which the results are to a great extent predetermined and in which indigenous peoples have a very limited influence about the decisions that affect their lives. This is particularly obvious in emerging and critical fields such as climate and environmental governance in which we are recognizing increasingly the role of indigenous peoples.

The chairperson interrupts. I'd now like to give the floor to Chief Willie Littlechild. Chief, you have the floor.

Tansi. Good morning to all delegations. In view of the 20th year of the UN Declaration, we take a moment to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Indigenous leaders who worked to gain entry into these halls, first in 1923 and again in 1977. We must never forget the original purpose of Indigenous peoples coming to the UN and the basis of inspiration for our leaders. We did not come here just to complain. We came with proposed solutions. We came to be recognized as human beings with human rights. The rich history of advocacy must never be forgotten and calls on us to teach, share, and transmit culturally historically accurate account of the development of and the importance of the sacred bundle of rights contained within the UN Declaration. Indeed, it was our original delegation who introduced each resolution for the establishment of the mechanisms. We look forward to 2027, and we call for the establishment of a reviewable 20-year plan of action. For the full implementation and enforcement of the UN Declaration as the standard-setting outcome for both the enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples and the UN80 initiative. It's our vision that we could build on the strengths of the 6 clusters of rights that comprise the 4 pillars of the UN Declaration. Thank you.

I thank Chief Willy for your, for your statement. I now would like to give the floor to the Movement for the Survival of the Aweguni People's joint statement with the Movement for the Survival of the Aweguni People. Mr. Anthony Aola, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity given to us to address this august assembly. We appreciate the efforts of the expert mechanism in protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples globally. We also acknowledge African countries that have endorsed UNDRIP and recognized Indigenous Peoples in their territory. However, Madam Chair, as we prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UNDRIP, it is saddening to report that Many countries in Africa, particularly Ethiopia and Nigeria, have not implemented UNDRIP and are yet to recognize Indigenous Peoples in their countries. Denying Indigenous Peoples amounts to denying their collective rights. Recognition of Indigenous Peoples are not giving privilege, but an existential issue. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have identified lack of recognition as one major issue that contributes to indigenous peoples' exclusion in Africa. Close cases of non-recognition are the large-scale mining operation in the Ayiwa territory in Ethiopia and oil extraction in Ogoni, Nigeria, where extraction has been taking place without the people's free, proud, and informed consent. Furthermore, these extractive activities have been destroying the forest and contaminating waters of indigenous communities in Ethiopia and Nigeria. We call on the expert mechanism to reinforce its efforts for the endorsement of UNDRIP and recognition of indigenous people in Africa. Ethiopia and Nigeria should recognize and ensure the full participation of indigenous people in decision-making process affecting their land and resources. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Finland.

Chair, distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism, Indigenous representatives, dear participants. Finland thanks the Expert Mechanism for holding this important discussion as we prepare for the 20th anniversary of the UNDRIP. This milestone offers an important opportunity to reflect on progress achieved and to renew our commitment to full and effective implementation of the Declaration. As we look back on the past 2 decades, one of the Declaration's most important contributions has been the affirmation of Indigenous Peoples' right to self-determination. In Finland, a significant recent step in advancing this right has been the reform of the Sami Parliament Act in 2025. The reform strengthens Sami self-government and self-identification on matters concerning Sami language and culture. The reform represents decades of work by the Sami Parliament, an important achievement for the Sami. Another important milestone has been the work of Finland's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the publication of its final report in December 2025. Addressing historical injustices and promoting reconciliation are essential elements in building trust and enhancing the right to self-determination. Looking ahead, effective implementation of UNDRIP must continue. Finland sees particular importance in strengthening the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and their representative institutions in decision-making, supporting Indigenous youth leadership, and ensuring that the transition required to address climate change and biodiversity loss is carried out in accordance with the principle of free, prior, and informed consent. These priorities will be essential as we prepare for the next, next 20 years of UNDRIP implementation. I thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I understand when I gave the floor to Guatemala, Ganry provided an intervention, so I'd like to now give the floor to Guatemala. Please, you have the floor. I understand that Walmala would like to take the floor, so I'd like to give the floor now to the ASALAS Cultural Association. Mr. Yassin Zindan, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. On the eve of the 20th anniversary On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it is a timely thing to take stock and look at its implementation. The first generation for implementing this declaration has made significant progress regarding recognition of rights. The next generation will need to rise to a taller challenge, namely their effectiveness in respect of the diversity of historic, political, and cultural trajectories. As a researcher in sociolinguistics, of the Amazigh, and as a stakeholder in associations, I would like to commend the work done by the Algerian civil society in terms of protecting and promoting the Amazigh language and culture and supporting public programs in this area. The constitutionalization of the Tamazight as a national and official language and its gradual teaching in various areas in our country, the officialization of the Yanaya as a national day celebrated around the country, as well as increasing integration of Amazigh as a language in public institutions, media, the universities, and scientific research, are all major progress. To this, you have to add the creation of laboratories and specialized research centers, as well as the encouragement of the creation of literary and artistic works, and the support provided to innovative initiatives in digital technologies and AI. Safeguarding policies for material and— or tangible and intangible heritage of the Amazigh, and supported by national institutions, also contributing to this. In the Algerian context. We have an indigenous nation with a plural identity which is adopted by all Algerians, and we need to rise to a number of challenges in the coming years, especially as regards matters relating to scientific sovereignty and cultural and cognitive sovereignty. Finally, this commemoration needs to be an opportunity for us to engage critically on an analysis of categories that we inherited from the colonial era, as well as the international mechanisms

I now give the floor to Australia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As we near the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Australia reaffirms its strong support for UNDRIP. UNDRIP informs the way the Australian Government engages with Indigenous Peoples and promotes the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in all matters that concern them. Australia pursues a practical implementation model to ensure the principles of UNDRIP are reflected across policy, programs, and partnerships through the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The National Agreement aims to address entrenched inequality and is underpinned by a formal partnership between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This partnership supports decision-making and shared accountability consistent with UNDRIP including community-led and strengths-based outcomes. Despite this, Australia recognizes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to be impacted by intersecting systems of harm. Indigenous peoples have made clear that meaningful partnership must extend beyond consultation to participation in how resources are designed, governed, and delivered. We also hear concerns raised regarding structural barriers faced by Indigenous peoples in accessing international finance. Including administrative complexity, accreditation requirements that disadvantage community-based institutions, limited direct access pathways, and short-term funding arrangements. Australia supports ongoing efforts across the United Nations system, international financial institutions, and development partners to address these challenges. As we mark this significant milestone in 2027, we cannot lose sight of the challenges that lie ahead. Let's take what we've heard at this session today as well as both a challenge and an invitation to center Indigenous leadership and participation as we move forward to find new and innovative solutions to address challenges faced by Indigenous peoples. Chair, Australia stands ready to work with Indigenous peoples, member states, and UN agencies to ensure UN reform delivers a more inclusive, responsive, and effective system for advancing Indigenous Thank you.

Thank you, Australia, for your statement. I now give the floor to Indígenas Maron Joint Statement. Ms. Mamani, you have the floor.

Gracias, señora. Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the expert mechanism. My name is Sandra Condori Mamani. I'm from the Aymara people of Bolivian origin and an Argentinian citizen. I am a beneficiary of the the UN Trust Fund for Indigenous Peoples. I am speaking on behalf of Identidad Marrón, a civil society organization that works against structural racism that affects indigenous peoples in the context of human mobility in Argentina and in the South Cone area. 20 years on from the declaration, racism has not disappeared vis-à-vis indigenous peoples when we move, be it within or outside of our countries. In our cities, we continue to be identified primarily by the color of our skin, our traits, or our national origin rather than the rights that the Declaration recognizes, we hold. Such social profiling, which is facilitated increasingly by biometric technologies and facial recognition, is limiting access to rights and leading many people to hide their Indigenous identity, not because they're ashamed, but because they need to survive. Therefore, we would like to suggest that in monitoring opinion number 18 of 2025 on the rights of Indigenous peoples to data, we include the status of mobility or on the move and racial profiling and algorithmic profiling incidents as categories, ventilated ones, not— and an intersecting approach. States also need to take measures to prevent racial profiling, including Argentina. The rights of Indigenous peoples need to support us where we live, work, and move, and they should also ensure that migration does not mean that we are invisible, and being Indigenous should be a source of pride. Thank you.

I'll now give the floor to the Indigenous Peoples' Rights International. Ms. Carling.

Thank you, Chair. The Indigenous Peoples' Rights International welcomes EMRIP's decision to prepare a report on the implementation of UNDRIP over the past 20 years in commemoration of the Declaration next year. As a contribution to EMRIP's report, IPRI is preparing a compilation of laws policies, jurisprudence, decisions, and recommendations relating to the Declaration at the national, regional, and international levels. This compilation will demonstrate significant progress achieved by the global Indigenous Peoples' Movement while also identifying remaining gaps requiring further action. IPRI is also preparing for the International Conference on the Criminalization of Indigenous Peoples and the shrinking democratic space in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of the Archipelago, Aman, which will host this critical gathering in Indonesia in March 2027. As part of this commemoration of the Declaration, this gathering will address one of the most urgent challenges facing Indigenous Peoples today: the growing criminalization of Indigenous leaders and defenders which continues to undermine the recognition and effective implementation of our rights in law and practice. Finally, we encourage Indigenous Peoples around the world to adopt the proposed global theme for the 20th year of UNDRIP as Protect Our Progress, Accelerate Implementation, and Prepare the Next Generation. This theme, proposed during the recent Global Indigenous Peoples Meeting on UNAT reform and related global processes, provides a strong and unifying call to action as we mark this important milestone in advancing the Declaration. Thank you.

I thank Joanne for your statement. I now give the floor to the National Iwi Chairs Forum. Macy, you have the floor.

Tēnā koe tō tātou nei wāhine toa. The National Iwi Chairs Forum and Aotearoa Independent Monitoring Mechanism welcome this opportunity to share some of the progress that has been made in Aotearoa New Zealand through self-determined institutions, and look ahead to the work that remains. Since 2007, Indigenous peoples have advanced language revitalisation, constitutional recognition of rights, environmental stewardship, education, and international participation. In Aotearoa, Māori have demonstrated the transformative potential of self-determination, through Indigenous learning institutions, economic development, and Indigenous-led climate and cultural initiatives. However, our AIM 2026 report reminds us that progress, progress cannot be taken for granted. Legislative and policy changes can quickly undermine Indigenous participation, treaty relationships, and the rights affirmed in the Declaration. This reinforces that implementation requires ongoing commitment partnership, and accountability. The Aotearoa Independent Monitoring Mechanism annual shadow report shows how Indigenous peoples can independently assess, assess progress, identify good practice, and provide practical recommendations. Such mechanisms strengthen transparency, improve dialogue with states, and support continuous improvement. As we prepare for the next 20 years, we encourage 5 priorities: strengthening constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples and treaties and applying the principle of non-regression, embedding free, prior, and informed consent within national decision-making, recognising Indigenous data sovereignty and governance of emerging technologies, investing in Indigenous languages and Indigenous-led education systems, and supporting Indigenous monitoring mechanisms mechanisms as partners in implementation and accountability. Tēnā koutou.

I thank you for your statement, Macy. I now give the floor to FAO.

Respected Chair, Indigenous Elders, leaders, and Indigenous youth, distinguished delegates. FAO congratulates the Chair and Vice Chairs of ENRIP for their election. As a specialized UN agency on food and agriculture, FAO remains committed to work along with ENRIP on Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems. FAO welcomes the dialogue between the 3 UN instances on Indigenous Peoples and the guidance provided in support of the implementation of UNDRIP. As we approach the 20th anniversary of UNDRIP, the relevance of the Declaration is more important than ever. UNDRIP provides the international framework for recognizing Indigenous Peoples as rights and knowledge holders, custodians of invaluable food and knowledge systems and guardians of biodiversity for thousands of years. The 2010 FAO's Policy on Indigenous Peoples is grounded in the commitment enshrined in the Declaration, guiding our organization's efforts to respect, protect, and promote Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems while advancing their individual and collective rights. Since 2018, FAO has recognized Indigenous Peoples as unique allies to end hunger and food insecurity. The food and knowledge systems offer important solutions to transform agri-food systems and tackle climate change. However, to unleash this potential, we need to create spaces for meaningful and effective policy discussion between Indigenous Peoples and other decision-makers. Spaces where policy recommendations can be discussed and issued in support of Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems. The UNDRIP anniversary is a living milestone, reminding us the importance of collective rights, free, informed consent, and self-determination. FAO reaffirms its commitment to continue creating opportunities for effective dialogue with Indigenous Peoples, countries, United Nations agencies, and academia in support of UNDRIP. Let me finish showing our organization's respect, recognition, and gratitude with all the Indigenous leaders that for years worked tirelessly to have UNDRIP endorsed by the countries. Thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Secretary-General. Salatin National Government. Dakota Diablo, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Tsaihtko Nation and the Coalition for the Human Rights Indigenous Peoples recommend that the states continue to align domestic legislation with the UN Declaration. Regarding question 1, a significant achievement in Canada was 2021 federal legislation which requires consistency between Canadian laws and the Declaration and commits Canada to the process of implementation. Regarding question 2, Canada continues to claim that their laws, policies are aligned with the Declaration. However, gaps exist towards much-needed reforms, including a transparent and formal process to work with Indigenous peoples to ensure the alignment of laws, regulations, and policies with the Declaration. Regarding question 3, the, the 2025 Building Canada Act streamlines the approval of large development projects. The Act explicitly sets a lower bar for approvals, requiring only consultation with Indigenous peoples, not consultation and cooperation, or FPIC. The 2 interconnected standards are the heart of the Declaration, placing the Building Canada Act in misalignment with the existing Canadian law. Moreover, the Act was shared with Indigenous peoples only 6 days before its introduction, failing the FPIC standard of Article 19. Regarding Question 4, to overcome the challenge of entrenched systematic discrimination, states must commit to their genuine cooperation with Indigenous peoples consistent with the Declaration, particularly Articles 19 and 22. Regarding Question 5, priority is in the states continue to commit to full alignment, implementation, and accountability. This requires rejecting fast-tracked approval processes that lower established standards. Implementation legislation is undermined and subsequent laws are permitted to degrade from it. And independent Indigenous-led monitoring mechanisms are essential to hold states accountable to their commitments to T'c'ent'elyot Thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Norway.

Thank you, Chair. Norwegian authorities played an active role in the development of the Declaration. The government's aim was a Declaration that can contribute to strengthen protection of Indigenous peoples globally. The Declaration provides important guidelines and sets a standard of achievement to be pursued. It is important that the scope of the provisions in the Declaration must be determined on the basis of interpretations of similar obligations in other international legal instruments, such as the ILO Convention No. 169. When the Declaration was adopted in 2007, it was the government of Norway's view that the legislation and policies pertaining to the Sami were for the most part already in line with the requirements in the Declaration. Consultations and cooperation with the aim of achieving free, prior, and informed consent is key for ensuring that the rights of indigenous peoples are respected in all situations. The rules for Sami participation in national law aligns with the standards set out in the ILO Convention No. And the Declaration. The Sami have the right to real and effective participation in matters that may affect them. When lack of consent would mean that the human rights of Sami right holders would otherwise be breached, reaching actual agreement or consent becomes a requirement. That is already the law in Norway. Norway looks forward with great appreciation to commemorating the 20th anniversary of this significant milestone. Thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Swedish Institute for Human Rights.

Chair, distinguished members of the expert mechanism, fellow delegates, I'm speaking on behalf of the Swedish Institute for Human Rights, and I'm honored to address EMRIP for the first time. As an NHRI, we promote and safeguard human rights. Climate warming is 3 to 4 times faster in the Arctic than the global average. In Sweden, mitigation efforts include significant industrial developments in Sápmi, further increasing pressure on Sami lands. The Swedish legal framework on land use does not adequately protect the rights of the Sami in accordance with international human rights law, including UNDRIP. This applies to both substantive and procedural protection. This is also true for the Consultation Act, As it has no expressed objective to obtain consent as laid out in UNDRIP, and it falls short of upholding FPIC. Major legislative changes are underway impacting the Sami people's right to land and culture. In the UPR process of 2025, Sweden accepted a recommendation to ensure that legislation is consistent with UNDRIP. This is a welcome commitment. That must inform legislative reform on land use planning and reindeer herding ahead. In September, the Truth Commission for the Sami People will hand over its final report to the government, shedding light on the legacy of human rights violations against the Sami people and their lasting effects today. It offers a historic opportunity for the government and Sweden as a nation to work towards accountability and reconciliation. We underscore the necessity of UNDRIP underpinning the implementation of its findings. Finally, to commemorate the Declaration next year, we have translated it into Swedish to assist the implementation of the rights contained therein and stand ready to further advance the guidance provided by EMRIP. I thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Genevieve Pouletouar. Mr. Ortiz, you have the floor.

Thank you. As this mechanism prepares to mark 20 years of the Declaration, let us speak plainly. 20 years of endorsement have not delivered 20 years of implementation. States should formally recognize indigenous people as victims of extractive and non-regenerative policies and structures. Redress remains the least implemented part of the Declaration. Indigenous people bear the greatest cost of an extractive economic order and receive the least of its benefits. Implementation must be measured in restored territorial control and viable traditional economies, not in consultation exercise. Consent too often is treated as formality. Free, prior, and informed consent is reduced to mere consultation, most sharply where transitional minerals are taken from indigenous lands. The climate response must not become the next driver of dispossession. Consent is a right, not a procedure, and those who defend this right are paying with their liberty and their lives. The criminalization of peaceful action, the misuse of counterterrorism and emergency law, and the killing of defenders continue years after years. This must stop, and those responsible must be held to account. Indigenous youth are still waiting. Their participation remains symbolic, unfunded, and unrecognized. States should institutionalize Indigenous youth representation through Indigenous peoples' own institutions with dedicated resources ahead of 2027. So we recommend states respectfully but without ambiguity to recognize Indigenous people where recognition is still denied, give the Declaration legal effect through national action plan built with Indigenous people, not merely announced implementation consent as substantive right across the extractive and energy transition sectors, and right the process. Sorry. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Unison Nous You have the floor.

Thank you very much, Chairperson, for the floor. Unite for the Promotion of Heritage would like to greet the progress made by the Burundi government in this sphere of promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples since the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. We'd like to highlight the accounting for indigenous peoples, particularly the Batwa, in a number of legal instruments and national strategies, in particular the Burundi Constitution, Burundi Vision 2025, and the Cooperation Framework Plan 2023 to 2027 between the government and the UN system. We'd also like to greet the drafting by the government of a socioeconomic reintegration strategy. Written by the government and also a strategy targeting Batwa children incorporating these into education in particular by admitting them into the mainstream education system at secondary level. These progress have meant that economic, social, and political inclusion in Burundi society have been genuinely fostered. Nonetheless, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the declaration, We must also note that a number of challenges remain. Batwa communities continue to confront discrimination and stigmatization, as well as challenges in accessing land and a decent habitat, and a limited access to education, as well as to means of subsistence, justice, healthcare, and other core services. In this connection, we'd like to encourage the government to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of this strategy. Most particularly the Plurianual Multi-Partner Sustainable Socioeconomic Reintegration Plan for the Batwa Horizon 2027, particularly through the mobilization of appropriate resources. Finally, UNIPROBAR would like to call on MEDPA to encourage the Burundian state to continue to strengthen measures to combat discrimination and put in place positive discrimination in order to ensure the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Thank you,

says the Chair. The Committee on Indigenous Peoples of Russia, Mr. Danilov, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, in 2027 we will mark the 20th anniversary from the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We need to prepare for this anniversary in discussing issues that are not discussed at the in international affairs, namely the situation of migrants and refugees and indigenous peoples. I know this from my own experience. I myself have defended the rights of my own people for many years. In 2020, I had to leave Russia and appeal for help in Norway, and I received protection in my historic homeland of the Sami. And I am very grateful to Norway for having provided me with safety. However, There are measures which need to be taken for my homeland, and we need to preserve the traditional ways of life and not be deprived of links to our people. In France, there are also programs where women from indigenous peoples received humanitarian visa and applied for asylum. And according to her statement, when she applied for asylum, she was not provided the services of an interpreter and her documents were not translated. Her case was viewed in a very speedy way. And I am not judging this particular case, but it is important to ensure that there is full interpretation and translation and that each individual's case must be viewed on a case-by-case basis. Refugees from indigenous communities who are seeking asylum is something that we need to look at in the context of the 20th anniversary. We need to look at the support that is necessary for them. Over 20 years, the Declaration has given greater recognition to the rights of Indigenous Peoples, but now there are new challenges that are emerging and people are forced to leave their lands. We are— no, we have not stopped being Indigenous Peoples, but we have become refugees. And I hope that in the run-up to the 20th anniversary, due attention will be given to this issue. We are very grateful to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for the support. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Indonesia.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Declaration, Indonesia recalls that the Declaration recognized the diverse circumstances of indigenous peoples between and within regions, and that these particularities and historical background must be taken into account. While the term indigenous people does not accurately describe our national context, we see the Declaration's objective aligned with our own constitutional framework in taking into account national particularities. Constitutionally, the government is mandated to recognize and protect the particularities of our customary law communities, or basharakat hukum adat. This is being implemented through various regulations that consider and accommodate their distinct rights, both at the national and local levels. Our practice in this regard also includes situations of conflict and post-conflict. In this regard, we feel that the conflict resolution in Aceh Province is a good practice where historical context matters. Aceh Province has enjoyed a robust special autonomy status since the historic 2005 Helsinki MOU. Under this framework, the people of Aceh fully exercise their right to democratic participation, electing their own local leaders and representatives, including through local political parties, a circumstance unique only to Aceh Province. The provincial government holds broad authority over its own affairs, including the management of resources culture, and customary law. Therefore, the statement made yesterday by a delegation suggesting otherwise is unwarranted and overlooked the thriving self-governing reality of Aceh Province today. Chair, Indonesia takes pride in its memberships of this council and its strong commitment to human rights. Nationally, we maintain robust institutional mechanisms to implement human rights and address grievance, including through our A-accredited and HRI, Komnas-Ham. We will continue to engage in these mechanisms to advance the rights set out in the declarations. I thank you.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Indigene Global Confederation, a joint statement with the Adivasi Maha Sadha Foundation. You have the floor. I don't see them in the room. I'd like to now give the floor to the Asia Indigenous Peoples' Caucus.

Thank you. Madam Chair, the Asian Indigenous Peoples' Caucus thanks the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for the opportunity to reflect on the preparation for 20 years United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP. UNDRIP has contributed to the constitutional reforms, legislative developments, judicial decisions, and strengthening recognition of Indigenous Peoples' collective rights. For example, the Orang Asli Malaysia Federal Court decision where the UNDRIP was used as a soft law. However, in Asia region, Indigenous human rights defenders, women, and youth continue to face intimidation, criminalization, arbitrary detention, violence, and even killings for defending their lands and territories. Development projects often proceed without respecting APEC, resulting in forced eviction, environmental degradation, violation of our cultural, spiritual, and economic rights. We call upon the APEC and Member States to ensure the full implementation of UNDRIP through laws, policy, and institutional reforms developed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples; respect and implement the right to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent to decisions affecting Indigenous Peoples; protect Indigenous Peoples' human rights defend us from criminalizations, reprisals, and violence, ensure full and effective participation of Indigenous women, youth, persons with disabilities, and elders in all decision-making processes. Finally, we encourage member states in Asia to adopt legal frameworks on Indigenous people's rights in line with the UNDRIP, according to international framework. Thank you, Madam.

Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Mexico.

Chairperson, in 2027 we'll be commemorating the 20th anniversary since the adoption of the historic UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This will be the occasion to celebrate but also to reflect concerning its impact on Indigenous Peoples the world over, as well as concerning what still remains to be done to fully implement it. At the international level, Mexico will support and promote initiatives included— including in the HRC to commemorate this anniversary and invite us to think about its implementation. At the national level, we are applying the Declaration thanks to historic legal reforms recognizing Indigenous Peoples as subjects of public law with a legal personality and their own assets, in line with Articles 3, 4, and 5 of the Declaration. Chair, in 2024, Mexico was the seat of the Latin American Seminar Progressing and Dealing with UNDRIP Challenges, in which we adopted the Mexico-Tenochtitlan Agreements concerning the implementation of the Declaration. These agreements urge states and the Indigenous peoples to carry out a stocktake concerning the implementation of the Declaration, assess the need to develop new international standards, and promote the adoption of an action plan to allow acceleration of its compliance. Mexico has demonstrated with concrete actions that it is complying with this commitment. Thank you very much, Chairperson.

The Chair, thank you very much for your statement. I now give the floor to the University of Melbourne.

To realise Article 24 of UNDRIP, the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, the principles of community-controlled health must be applied in biomedical research. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to face poorer health, and Australia is meeting only 4 of 19 Closing the Gap targets. Our community-controlled health organisations offer reprieve to this. Achieving significantly improved health outcomes and continuity of care for our mob. This affirms that Indigenous health demands self-determination. In the hands of non-Indigenous people, biomedical research has been weaponized against Indigenous people to fuel racist ideologies and at best to implement ineffective, inequitable health programs that are designed with us— not designed with us, nor for us. As it stands, management of our data and the authority to decide whether and why biomedical research involving our peoples occurs is not occurring with free, prior, and informed consent. This jeopardizes Article 3, the right to self-determination. Thus, to advance realization of UNDRIP over the next 20 years, the Australian government must commit to adequate representation and Indigenous-led biomedical research. To do so, we require accessible, culturally appropriate education and career pathways to build our community's biomedical research capacity. Also, protected and appropriately structured funding must accommodate consultations with elders and community, research activities, and sovereign data management. And finally, biomedical data must be wholly managed, stored, and owned by its respective communities. Indigenous people will always be the first scientists and health practitioners. The next 20 years must be defined by Indigenous authority over our research, our data, and our health future. Thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Indigenous women's organisation North Women.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration, it is important to underscore that for many peoples this anniversary is taking place against a backdrop of their rights being violated and they are struggling to defend their rights. For instance, nobody ever speaks about human rights violations or the environment or the damage done to indigenous territories. Instead, they try to organize meetings of indigenous peoples and who are going through tremendous risks to try and actually in effect defend their rights and land. As we look towards the preparations of the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration, massive repression has been ongoing in Russia After searches in December 2025, many activists from Indigenous Peoples' communities had to leave Russia, including members of the Permanent UN Forum, Valentina Sukhina. We are going through difficult times for Indigenous Peoples, but it is important to underscore that Daria Yerevka, a human rights activist, and Natalia Yengard as well remain behind bars for more than 6 months now. As we look towards the anniversary, we call on international human rights organizations and Indigenous peoples and all families of these socio-cultural regions and the UN mechanisms to join forces in order to counter repression and killings and expulsions and the violations of the rights of Indigenous peoples. Only then will it be possible to implement minimum standards as contained in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Sami

Thank you, Chair. I speak on behalf of the Sami Council. In its statement today, Norway claimed that its legislation is largely in line with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is despite the expert mechanism recently documented in the technical advisory note following its country engagement mission to Norway that Norway still has considerable room for improvement. Thank you. Work to do to bring its legislation and administrative practices into conformity with international law as reflected in the Declaration. Through its statement in this room today, Norway has proven its obvious need for further technical assistance and guidance from EMRIP on the implementation of the Declaration. We encourage Norway to draw lessons from Finland follow-up to the country engagement mission to Finland in 2018, which eventually led to a successful outcome. Chair, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the Declaration, we recognize the important contribution of EMRIP in advancing the understanding and implementation of the Declaration. We encourage states to use the anniversary as an opportunity to develop national action plan on implementation and to give due consideration to the advices and recommendations provided by MRIP. Thank you.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Ishigaki History Association.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Eizo Tomoyose, a member of the Ishigaki City Council in Okinawa, Japan. Our island is a also has its own rich island dialect. Local people are aware of this heritage and are working to preserve it. However, effective language preservation requires a good understanding of local realities. In Ishigaki-ji Island, dialect is not exactly the same in every community. It has small local differences, so it is not practiced to the one standard form of the dialect in schools. Schools have an important role in teaching standard Japanese. At the same time, island dialects are best preserved and passed on through families and local communities. We are concerned that treating dialects under a sample framework as indigenous languages and separating them from the Japanese context may create misunderstanding unnecessary confusion. We respect and encourage, encourage to be with our community here directly from our city council and local legends and carefully examines the local situation before making recommendations. We hope EM will continue to from a long-range position based on objective facts and local realities. Thank you.

I see your time has now elapsed. I give the floor to the International Indian Treaty Council.

Thank you. To commemorate the 20th anniversary, we recommend that the EMRIP host a photo exhibition next year honoring the leaders, elders, and UN experts, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who were instrumental in the Declaration's development, whose spirits will be a part of it forever, but who have left this world and are watching over us from the Sewa'ania, the Flower World. We look forward to submitting photos for this historic UN exhibition. We also recommend that the EMRIP conduct a study analyzing the implementation status of the cross-cutting right to free, prior, and informed consent affirmed in the Declaration's articles on relocation, hazardous materials, repatriation of sacred items and human remains, legislative and administrative acts, and development affecting our lands and resources. FPIC is foundational for the realization of other rights, including self-determination and treaty rights, rights. It is a collective right recognized specifically for Indigenous peoples, yet it is being weakened by some states who are attempting to apply it to other entities and individuals, interpret it as mere consultation, or ignore it completely. This study would contribute to a much-needed analysis of the Declaration's implementation after 20 years and could also advise States on ways to address gaps. We finally recommend that the Expert Mechanism advise the Human Rights Council to convene a high-level panel discussion during its 64th session in March 2027 to commemorate the 20th anniversary with participation from the 7 Indigenous socio-cultural regions. Tšokwe otesia. Thank you very much.

I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Denmark.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Denmark together with Greenland. As we look ahead to the 20th anniversary of the Declaration, we are continuously reminded of the importance as, as a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous peoples. Our governments were actively involved in the negotiations of the Declaration, and we thus remain firmly committed to its full and effective implementation. The Government of Greenland represents a vast majority of Indigenous peoples and uses the principles of its Declaration in its legislative processes. Our Indigenous peoples organization civil society, and individuals are instrumental in holding us accountable to the principles of the Declaration. The Declaration is instrumental in strengthening the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' inherent collective rights. This includes the right to self-determination, a fundamental right which we have experienced being challenged historically and during the past years. On behalf of Denmark and Greenland, I would like to use this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation for all the support we received from Indigenous Peoples, from the EMRIP and UM experts, member states, and other stakeholders. Chair, globally we continue to experience critical gaps between recommendation and implementation. The gaps include the conflation of Indigenous peoples with local communities rather than recognizing Indigenous peoples as distinct right holders. The 20th anniversary should not only commemorate past progress. It should serve as a call to strengthen implementation, accountability, and meaningful participation. I thank you

for your, for your statement. I now give the floor to the International Institute for Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Policy. Thank you, Madam

Chair. My name is Lemit Mihkelhata, and on behalf of the International Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Policy in Geneva, we are honored to contribute to this dialogue in preparation of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Many youth recognize the privilege of having grown up with the UN Declaration and commend the advances, advances in state laws, constitutions, and policies, as well as the leadership of elders and advocates who've come before them. Yet Indigenous Peoples' rights remain to be realized on the ground, and much work remains. The implementation gap persists in many states. For example, states have yet to hold industry accountable for environmental degradation, and it is the youth who are inheriting these impacts. The full realization of Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights is essential to a more just, sustainable, and resilient future for all, and for this, youth voices are crucial. To achieve the ends of the Declaration, We need transformational change that strengthens the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples throughout the UN system and supports the continued evolution of decision-making processes consistent with the UN Declaration. We encourage the international community to prioritize Indigenous youth voices across all UN systems and recommend Indigenous youth voices are prioritized in the implementation of UN Declaration. This is essential for the full realization of the rights articulated in the Declaration and to enable transformative change. Youth stand ready to take the baton that was carried through intergenerational knowledge, Indigenous activism, and diplomacy to insist on transformational— transformation and the full realization of Indigenous Peoples' laws, cultures, languages, and self-determination. Thank you. I thank you for your

statement. I now give the floor to the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. Thank you, Madam Chair.

My name is Anne Dennis. I speak on behalf of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, representing 121 local Aboriginal land councils, 9 across 9 regions, 30,000 members. As we prepare to mark 20 years of the UNDRIP, we recommend that the 20th anniversary in 2027 be used as a moment of accountability and renewed commitment to implementation rather than commemoration alone. 2, that the states develop national implementation plans for the Declaration in partnership with Indigenous peoples and their representative institutions. Madam Chair, over the past 2 decades, the Declaration has become a global minimum standard for survival, dignity, and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. Australia voted against the adoption of the Declaration in 2007, and although it subsequently endorsed it in 2009, its provisions have never been incorporated into domestic law. Instead, they remain largely guiding principles rather than enforceable standards. The anniversary comes at a time of increasing challenges to human rights and the rise of the right-wing and populist movements, shrinking civic spaces, and growing pressure on Indigenous lands, territories, resources, and institutions. At this forum, we have heard loud and clear Australia's generous commitment to Aboriginal people. And on the record, we ask Australia— the Australian Government to work with us and meet us halfway. The next 20 years cannot be another 20 years of aspiration. They must be 20 years of implementation. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. Thank you for your statement.

I now give the floor to the Elsipogtog First Nation. Thank you, Madam Chair. My name

is Aaron Sock, and I am the Chief of Elsipogtog First Nation from New Brunswick, Canada. Canada presents itself internationally as a champion of the UNDRIP. However, our lived reality tells a different story. What Canada offers this forum is not transformative. Transformation, but concealment. It speaks the language of rights while preserving the architecture of colonial control. I know this well. In 2013, Elsabogduk opposed natural gas exploration and we were met with disproportionate and brute force at the hands of the RCMP. This included unlawful detention and surveillance long afterwards. Similar occurrences again in the early 2000s when asserting our fishing rights. Canada's DFO intentionally rammed and sank our smaller vessels. This is how Canada responds to Mi'kmaq asserting their rights. It is not with respect for self-determination, but with coercion and antagonism. This deception persists while Canada points to amendments on the Indian Act as though renovation were liberation. Canada replaces consultation for consent and is inherently conflicted with processes to even begin UNDRIP implementation. Canada's negotiation positions shift so frequently and fundamentally that agreement is next to impossible. Our current land claim negotiations prove this. A foundational step is Article 27, yet environmental protections are weakened under the guise of national interests to justify rights infringements, and jurisdictional divisions are used to circumvent responsibility. Simply put, my friends, Canada still has attitudes of domination that UNDRIP asks her to abandon. Until this happens, Canada— I thank you. Apologies, but your time has expired.

I'd like to now give the floor to Mapuche Argentina. Madam Chair, we would like to begin by

congratulating you on opening this session which brings us together today. As a beneficiary of the Fellowship program of OITRA for Indigenous Peoples, and as a representative of the Mapuche people in Argentina— we live in the Chubut Province— we would like to express our support for the commemoration of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We understand the complexity of the debates that were required for this declaration to be possible in the first place. The document has provided a certain number of measures for indigenous peoples with a view to improving the living conditions of communities, but our current country's agenda is showing clear setbacks in terms of its implementation. There are mining and projects that are underway, and our glaciers are being destroyed. There's also detention and criminalization of people who fight against these projects. There is hate speech that incites to violence. In this context, our indigenous territories are more affected by exploitation and impoverishment— poverty. It is important for the state to comply with Articles 1, 3, and 26 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, we call on ENRIP to follow up on the Argentinians' implementation in order to address the situation faced by indigenous peoples there. It is essential in order to protect our access to water and land. Without water, there can be no life. Indigenous peoples have the right to a full life without discrimination. Thank you. Thank you for your statement. I now give

the floor to Tu Mou. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, my name is Maria

Tavoilaki. I am an Indigenous Samoan and a 2026 United Nations Indigenous Fellow. As we mark 20 years of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we recognize the progress made in advancing Indigenous rights. Yet one implementation gap remains: protecting Indigenous peoples in cross-border labor mobility programs. Labor mobility programs in New Zealand and Australia create important opportunities for Indigenous Samoan families. Yet those opportunities should never come at the expense of the rights affirmed in the Declaration. Articles 2, 3, 17, and 21 affirms our rights to equality, non-discrimination, self-determination, just and favorable conditions of work, and improved social and economic conditions. Those rights remain with Indigenous peoples when they cross borders for work. The New Zealand Human Rights Commission 2022 review, recent Labor Inspectorate findings, and Australian research shows that employer-dependent labor mobility programs continue to facilitate exploitations and conditions associated with modern slavery. As EMRIP prepares for the next 20 years, I respectfully encourage the expert mechanism to undertake a thematic study on Indigenous cross-border labour mobility programmes, including New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme and Australia's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme. Our collective rights as Samoans do not disappear when we cross borders for work. Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank you for your, for your statement. I

now give the floor to the Assembly Armenians, the Armenians Occidental. Thank you, Madam Chair. Under Agenda Item

10, Western Armenia ought to provide the message to the mechanism. The indigenous peoples are an irreplaceable part of human heritage. They are the gatekeepers of languages, knowledge, and ancestral relations with land, which enrich cultural diversity for all of humankind. Through— over the centuries, Many peoples have handed down deep but simple knowledge. The survival of a community does not depend on its physical presence on the territory, but also on its ability to transmit its memory and forge its future. This is best expressed through a symbolic metaphor, which is keep the saddle and the horse. The saddle refers to the tradition, the language, the customs and the values that make it possible for people to preserve its identity throughout time. Since antiquity, the saddle has been associated with the preservation— or salt, rather, has been associated with preservation. And the horse represents continuity transmission. In many civilizations, the horse is the companion to journeys and hope and movement. Symbolizes the ability of a people to maintain its institutions and look towards the future and continue its right to self-determination in accordance with international law. Salt without the horse preserves the memory but does not prepare the future. The horse without the salt moves forward without knowing where it comes from. Indigenous peoples need both of them, and they need to preserve their memory while also ensuring that their memory and culture and links to their ancestral lands are all preserved. The protection of Indigenous peoples are therefore not only about protecting the past, but also about protecting and guaranteeing the future. It is about ensuring that salt of the earth of their memory is preserved and that the horse helps to be strengthened through their participation in the Human Rights Council. Thank you. I now give the floor to the Uluru Dialogue.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yirritja Marang, good

day. My name is James Blackhall, a Wiradjuri man from Burrowa in New South Wales, Australia, and I make this intervention on behalf of the Uluru Dialogue. As an organisation, we are deeply concerned about the way the Declaration is being misinterpreted and reinterpreted, especially in states such as Australia. The right to self-determination is not a malleable concept. It is not a choose-your-own-adventure for states, or Indigenous corporations for that matter, to dictate what it means in practice. Even where there is work on implementation of Indigenous rights in Australia, it is uneven at best, lacking in protection and durability. Globally, we have seen a pattern of political reversal and contestation of settled rights under the UNDRIP. Australian subnational and national governments have walked back, or are at risk of walking back, their commitments to Indigenous peoples and rights. The Australian Minister for Indigenous Affairs said a few weeks ago that the Australian government is no longer interested in pursuing a representative, legitimate voice for our people and no longer are committed to Indigenous right to political participation under Articles 18 and 19 of the UNDRIP. As recently as last month, the Australian Government, in response to the Universal Periodic Review, rejected the recommendation to develop a plan to implement UNDRIP. As others have said throughout this week, our rights in the UNDRIP are not an aspirational ceiling, but the bare minimum floor of what states should achieve and what we should receive. I urge the EMRIP in its work on the UNDRIP anniversary to consider amplifying its mandate as the primary entity in the United Nations system charged with this exercise to rein in those interpretations that diminish the meaning of UNDRIP text. I also recommend the EMRIP take another look at the right to political participation and self-determination, building upon their previous published studies, as these rights come under increasing threat. Finally, in response to Australia, elites seeking international finance is not a human right. Mandanguru, thank you. Thank you for your, for your statement. I now, I

now give the floor to the Sami Parliament in Norway. Chair, I speak on behalf of the Sami Parliament

in Norway. The Sami Parliament in Norway does not agree with the statement delivered by Norway under this agenda. Agenda item. In 2024, EMRIP conducted a country engagement mission to Norway. EMRIP's recommendations from the mission aimed at advancing the implementation of the rights of the Sami people as reflected in the Declaration. Norway incorrectly claims that its legislation and policy were already largely in line with the Declaration when it was adopted in 2007. However, rights to lands, territories, and resources fundamental to the survival of Sami culture remain insufficiently recognized in Norway, nor has the right to free, prior, and informed consent fully been implemented in Norwegian legislation. This is documented through EMRIP's country engagement mission to Norway in 2024. It is also documented by the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report from 2023. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Declaration, Norway should consider the recommendations from EMRIP's country engagement in collaboration with the Sami, and it should also develop an action plan on the implementation of the Declaration. Alokihi tu. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor

to the Hmong Indigenous People. Thank you, Madam Chair. The Hmong Indigenous People

has not been included in these processes due to unrecognition. The distinct Hmong people has historically grouped with other racial communities into several national groups since the foundation of the People's Republic of China, PRC. This kind of international integration of various indigenous people into one national group or fragmenting Hmong indigenous people into several national groups has undermined the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UNDRIP. In this example, among indigenous people, an identity have been erased from history and societies. After the PRC officially recognized 56 national groups, it also redefined their histories and have since been taught in public educations and widely adopted internationally. As a result, Hmong national history and identity are no longer recognized in China or elsewhere. The PRC also legalized the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law on July 1st of this year. We are concerned that portions of this law may be inconsistent with the principles and objectives of the UNDRIP. It may further restrict our ability to reclaim and publicly identify with our historical name and identity. Instead, our Hmong community is expected to continue using and supporting other names to which we are subsumed under. Efforts to assert our distinct historical identity may be viewed as a violation of this law. In light of these developments, we respectfully call upon the United Nations To uphold the principles of the UNDRIP, to recognize the Mongol indigenous people, and to include the Mongol people in this. Thank you for your statement. Your time has now elapsed,

but thank you. I now give the floor to the Asians of Russia. Спасибо. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am an activist from Tuva,

and on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, I'd like to recall that for my people, many of the declaration's provisions remain unfulfilled. The Kremlin is using my people in the war against Ukraine. Tuva is one of the places where the most people have died per capita in the war. For such a small people, this is an irreplaceable demographic loss. And in Tuva, there is military propaganda in kindergartens. According to activists, around 10% of the children who are of the Tuva community join youth cadets organizations. The Kremlin calls Tuva a poor region, but such poverty is the result of years-long colonial policies. Poverty and the lack of prospects force many people to sign a contract with the army. Our land is rich in natural resources, but we do not dispose of them. exploited without free prior and informed consent of our people. Those who openly speak out about these are prosecuted and declared as extremists. They are forced to leave the country. Our organization is on the list of terrorist organizations. We call on member states of the United Nations and United Nations mechanisms to carry out thematic research into the influence of the war on the Indigenous peoples of Russia, with a particular emphasis on each individual people. Thank you. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Ontario

Native Women's Association. Thank you, Chair. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration,

we acknowledge the hard work of Indigenous human rights defenders over the last 20 years and long before that. Despite these important steps and action to implement UNDRIP, to make real change in the lives of Indigenous women has been slow. Article 22 of the UN Declaration affirms our right to enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination. Yet in Canada, the homicide rate for Indigenous women has doubled in the last 10 years. I want to reiterate, despite the UN Declaration, despite domestic legislation and a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and despite recommendations and action plans, the violence has doubled. Globally, we are facing a growing anti-rights movement and an increased focus on the economy and resource development which stands to put Indigenous women's safety further at risk. As member states continue to navigate economic and global uncertainty, Indigenous women's leadership is needed now more than ever. We carry the wisdom of our ancestors who effectively managed complex economies and geopolitics for thousands of years. To fully implement UNDRIP now, we cannot wait another 20 years. We call on all levels of government to sustainably invest in Indigenous women's organizations who are leading violence prevention and healing work in their communities. We call on all member states to ensure Indigenous women are included in economic opportunities and demand that Indigenous women's safety be prioritized within resource development projects. We call on all member states in the UN to adopt an inclusive approach to decision-making that upholds Indigenous women's right to be involved in decision-making on issues that impacts our lives. lives. We call on the UN to promote strong, transparent review processes that hold states accountable to their human rights obligations. We are at a critical juncture. The choices and investments made today will determine who succeeds and who gets left behind. We, as Indigenous women, refuse to be left behind. I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Saving Ugra. Madam Chair,

I represent the Russian Organization of the Indigenous Peoples

of Yugra, bringing together the Khanty, Mansi, and the Nenets. Yugra is the formation of our territorial autonomy. The upcoming 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration is an opportunity not just to take stock, but also to determine the priorities for the next 20 years. Experience has shown that achieving the goals of the Declaration depends not only on recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples but also on the creation of effective national mechanisms for their implementation in practice. It is the quality of institutions and procedures and the participation of indigenous peoples themselves which determine the extent to which international standards can become part and parcel of national policy and everyday practice. In Ugra, we are developing these mechanisms in a consistent way. The traditional use of nature in our territory and the participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making and socioeconomic agreements show that achieving the goals of the declaration require a comprehensive combination of legal, institutional, and organizational decisions. The next stage must be raising the effectiveness of mechanisms and their practical implementation. This requires strengthening the institutions that represent Indigenous Peoples, raising their potential and building their capacities, developing monitoring for the situation of Indigenous Peoples, and enhancing legislation. We recommend that the Expert Mechanism, as it prepares for the 20th anniversary, attach particular attention to the effective national institutional mechanisms for achieving its goals and preparing recommendations on their taking into account the various legal systems, forms of representation, and specific priorities of Indigenous Peoples. I thank you for your attention. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the British Columbia Treaty

Commission. Thank you, Chair. We share the following good practices as we prepare for 20 years

since the Declaration, and in British Columbia, Canada, it is also important to recognize that it has been just over 30 years since the British Columbia Treaty Commission and the negotiations process grounded in self-determination and self-government were established. The Treaty Commission was co-developed and established by Indigenous peoples and state governments and is an independent mechanism that oversees and facilitates the recognition of Indigenous title and rights, reconciling Indigenous sovereignty with state sovereignty through multilateral negotiations of modern treaties, agreements, and other constructive arrangements among state governments and First Nations in British Columbia, Canada. The Treaty Commission is the only non-governmental statutory body to oversee the implementation of the Declaration through its mandate of facilitating treaties and agreements and other constructive arrangements. Modern treaties operationalize the UN Declaration and establish a true sharing of sovereignty. Since Canada and British Columbia have implemented the Declaration into domestic legislation, action plans have been established and treaties and agreement-making have progressed. We are happy to report that on March 8th, 2025, the Comox First Nation Treaty, a living agreement, was ratified by its citizens. British Columbia ratified the treaty with the passage of the Comox Treaty Act on May 28th, 2026, advancing it one step closer to becoming law. The next step is federal ratification through the Parliament of Canada. Once ratified, the treaty— the Comox Treaty will become the first modern treaty to become constitutionally protected and explicitly incorporate the UN Declaration, which will guide the interpretation of the treaty into the future. In closing, we recommend these good practices achievements to help guide states and Indigenous peoples to implement the Declaration for the next 20 years. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Maluca Internacional. Gracias, señora presidenta. Thank you,

Chair. Celebrated or is now celebrating its 20th

anniversary today, when even binding international law is being ignored, the indigenous peoples and civil society must act together and call on the United Nations and the states, particularly the states of the Global South, to resume the original goal of 1982 and transform UNDRIP into a legally binding international convention. Which states stand ready to take this first step alongside the peoples? Well, the answer would allow us to identify the genuine allies in order to contribute to a reform of the United Nations and call genuinely for our right to free determination. Thank you. I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Cuba. Señora presidenta. Chairperson,

on the 20th anniversary of the UNDRIP, this document represents

one of the most significant forms of progress in combating, for claiming the rights of the original peoples. This document enshrined fundamental rights for indigenous peoples, including the right to free determination. The conservation and strengthening of their identity, culture, institution, and ancestral lands, as well as resources, and their right to participation in decisions affecting them, and ensure their free, prior, and informed consent. Many achievements are now behind us, but there remains a lot to be done. The persistence of unacceptable discrimination, including dispossession from territory and ancestral lands and the pillaging of natural resources, simply confirms the need to continue to progress towards the full implementation of the UNDRIP. Chairperson, Cuba's robust defense of the Declaration is— and also our dedication of Cuban lawyers, particularly Mira Alfonso Martinez, who dedicated a large part of their work to defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples, demonstrates our commitment. In his capacity as the chair of the UN body which navigated the UNDRIP. Professor Alfonso raised his voice tirelessly to ensure that there was a minimum standard for ensuring the dignity and the well-being of indigenous peoples. The adoption of the declaration 2 decades later with 20 years of negotiations between governments and indigenous peoples is a triumph in negotiation and Cuba has organized a commemorative panel on the 10th anniversary of the Declaration 10 years ago on the rights of UNDRIP. We will do so again, and this event will contribute to taking stock of the progress made and identifying persistent challenges for preventing the full realization of Indigenous Peoples' rights. Thank you very much. I now give the floor to the Forum Mediterranean Pola Promoción The Mediterranean Forum for the Promotion

of Citizens' Rights, please. Thank you. I don't see this— I don't see the speaker, and so I'd like to give the floor now to ACSILS. Thank you, Chair. As we think forward to 20th anniversary of UNDRIP, the lack of implementation for many of provisions

within the UNDRIP still remains very acute issue. One that is further exacerbated by the lack of recognition for many indigenous people. We Ryukyuan have been recognized as indigenous by the Japanese High Court in Osaka in 2023, but still not recognized by the national government. On the legal ground, this makes it even harder to navigate on the court system to argue our Article 13 rights under UNDRIP. The resolution adopted by General Assembly in December 2022 emphasized the importance of meaningful engagement of indigenous people in peace negotiation, conflict resolution, and related processes. Yet Ryukyuan continue to be excluded from discussion between Japanese government and U.S. military. Our referendum voting against another U.S. base was ignored. Our island continue to be militarized, and the current emergency evacuation plan for Yonaguni Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands by the national government does not include the right to return. Further, seek to sever us from our lands. The current system has no material repercussion on tempering our the rights and lives of indigenous people. For the UNDRIP to be meaningfully implemented, there must be enforcement mechanism that's operationalization of indigenous sovereignty within the UN system. Right now, the states are still in control. They decide whether to legally recognize us, whether to allow Special Rapporteur to officially visit, or ultimately recognize us, or ultimately invite special— a new proposal for indigenous people to directly invite Special Rapporteur on official visits should be seriously entertained, and additional progress and enhanced participation must be pursued. Ipenife de bitan. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians. I don't see the speaker

in the— Hello, thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Guadalupe Casas Acosta Masatsin, Ogechi Daanolin, for the San Ysidro Band of Indians.

As we prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, the question before us is not whether the declaration is sufficient. The question is Whether we have had the political will to implement it. 20 years is long enough. Let me highlight 2 urgent priorities before we celebrate. First, indigenous people continue to suffer racial discrimination, arbitrary and extreme violent detention, family separation, and the loss of life while in state custody. Indigenous migrants and other peoples who experience racial discrimination, particularly in immigration detention centers and elsewhere must be treated with humanity and dignity. Children require immediate and special protection. No child, whether a citizen, migrant, refugee, or stateless person, should be subjected to inhumane conditions, prolonged detention, family separation, neglect, or treatment that places their physical, emotional, cultural, or spiritual well-being at risk. Therefore, we respectfully request that the Emirate recommend to the Human Rights Council to call for an immediate moratorium on practices that result in these inhumane treatment and preventable death of Indigenous people. We urge also the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to strengthen country visits and independent observation with particular attention to the treatment of Indigenous children and families in places of detention. Secondly, implementation of Articles 11, 12, and 31 require more than recognition. It requires action. We should not have to wait another 20 years for the return of sacred ceremonial objects, ancestral remains, and the amochli known as the Codex Borgia. The rights affirmed by the Declaration are not aspirations for another generation. They are rights that Indigenous people are entitled to enjoy today, and AMRIT can help make that happen by turning this Declaration into a convention. Thank you. I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Société Savante d'Onomastique. Madam la Présidente. Chairperson, thank

you. I'm speaking in my capacity as an academic from the Algerian Humanities Faculty.

For more than 30 years, we have seen a public structured policy to support the Amazigh language. This is based on a simple conviction. The revitalization of indigenous languages is no longer something that is based on indigenous claims, but founded on institutions, education, and research. The Algerian experience demonstrates that language isn't simply important because it survives because of the speakers, it serves to underpin school, university teaching, scientific training, academic manuals, digital research and governance. The results are significant. More than 1.2 million people— pupils rather— now are learning the Tamazight language, and we are seeing an increase from 28% to 42% in primary schools, as well as 4,200 teachers specialized in this. 14,000 university graduates have been trained in this language, and this also includes the sphere of those who are hard of hearing and accessible teaching. Digital access must no longer be limited to teaching. The developing of digital resources as well as other learning materials must be fully integrated into the digital sphere. That is why we have worked with civil society and institutional and socioeconomic stakeholders to create our Horizon 2038 strategic digital framework, which is based on the consolidation of teaching, research, and linguistic standardization and digital transformation. Our experience demonstrates that conciliation of promotion of the Amazigh heritage and linguistic diversification can work. Thank you very much, Chairperson. I thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Congress Mondial Amazigh. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The Congress

Mondial Amazigh, or CEMAM, welcomes the important discussion as we prepare to mark

20 years since the adoption of UNDRIP, the declaration adopted by the General Assembly in 2007. 20 years later, EMRIP and we, the indigenous peoples, must ask ourselves a similar Has the actual reality of the indigenous people improved as much as the promise of the declaration? For the Amazigh indigenous people of North Africa, the answer remains no, really. I echo what was clearly mentioned by the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Albert Bermuda yesterday, we are in a crisis across the region. Amazon communities continue to face restrictions on their languages, limited state funding for teaching their language and representative institutions, barrier to participation in public life, unresolved land and natural issues. As we prepare for the 20th anniversary, implementing UNDRIP is becoming an urgent matter and must become a priority. The Amazigh Congress therefore calls for a few concrete actions. First, the UN should encourage every state of North Africa to develop in partnership with indigenous peoples a national UNDRIP implementation action plan with measurable targets and regular public reporting, and, and other which I don't think that I would be able to continue. Thank you. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the University of Colorado American Indian Law Program. Thank you, Chair, and congratulations

on your election. I speak on behalf of the American Indian Law Program at the University of Colorado Law School

in the United States. As we move toward the 20th anniversary, we encourage EMRIP both to take stock and look forward. Critical points in the United States include that President Obama, responding to Indigenous Peoples' advocacy, initially expressed U.S. support for the Declaration in 2010. In 2014, the U.S. joined all 193 U.N. member states in the General Assembly resolution to take measures to achieve the ends of the Declaration. In its 2021 report to CERD, the U.S. recognized the Declaration as a relevant instrument for assessing Indigenous Peoples' rights, including in treaty bodies. In 2025, Secretary Deb Haaland, our first Indigenous woman cabinet member, reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Declaration, identifying progress in repatriation, sacred sites, and mining policy while calling for additional measures. Just recently, the United States, with all WIPO member states, participated in the consensus adoption of WIPO's 2024 Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge. This treaty expressly references the Declaration and states commitment to achieve the ends of the Declaration. While these are all positive steps, groups, tribes, and intertribal organizations in the U.S. have called for more, including: 1, a national action plan to implement the Declaration; 2, the appointment of an ambassador or special envoy for international Indigenous issues; 3, support for Indigenous peoples' enhanced participation; and 4, ratification of the WIPO GRTK Treaty. We respectfully urge that EMRIP highlight Indigenous peoples' progress in pushing states to embrace the Declaration while calling for full implementation going forward. Thank you. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to Consul Cotunia Drehu de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Madam Chairperson, experts, this is a joint statement

on behalf of the Independent Oceanic Peoples, the New Caledonia Indigenous Council, and the Kanaky

Council. As a Kanak representative, the 20th anniversary of the UNDRIP isn't an abstract celebration. It is something that comes in the context of institutional backsliding that's deliberate. In 2026, we saw Indonesia implement its new criminal code. Article Law 622 has repealed the central provisions of Law 26/2000 on human rights courts, de facto eliminating criminal responsibilities for serious violations. We have seen extrajudicial executions and forced displacement which have been unpunished for decades. These provisions run against Articles 34 and 38 of the statement— of the declaration, which guarantee traditional legal systems and impose positive discrimination measures. Article 27 of the Vienna Convention calls on Indonesia to bring about reforms to and justify the non-obligation under international treaties. And its opinion on Western Sahara underscored the fact that the will of a people cannot be displaced by unilateral legislative action. Indonesia has already violated its own constitutional court, which in 2013 recognized traditional laws as legitimate. As we approach the 20th anniversary, we call on the mechanism to call on Indonesia to repeal Article 622 of this bill and the adoption of a binding calendar to bring itself into legislative line with the UNDRIP. I thank you for your, your statement. I now give the floor to the Interregional Public Organization Thank you, Madam Chair. I represent the Russian Organization

of the Union of Indigenous Peoples. 20 years on from the adoption of UNDRIP, UNDRIP has become a key reference

for developing national legislation and state policy. It enables more consistent understanding of the rights of Indigenous people by states, businesses, and other stakeholders. Experience has shown that achieving the goals of the Declaration requires not only enhancing legislation but also constant cooperation of— with institutions of Indigenous peoples, government bodies, and dialogue therefore makes it possible to hash out sustainable decisions. For the indigenous peoples of Russia, one example of such an approach was the development with the direct participation of indigenous peoples of the federal concept for sustainable development of the indigenous peoples of Russia up to 2030. The outcome document of the World Forum on Indigenous Peoples has shown that through joint efforts we can achieve the goals of the declaration. A number of the provisions of the document, the outcome document, were achieved. Unfortunately, though, not all processes launched during the global conference are so that successful. In particular, we're talking about broadening participation of indigenous peoples in the work of the UN. At this stage, it is difficult to say that that process meets the requirements of the indigenous peoples of our socio-cultural region. We recommend to the expert mechanism when preparing the 20th anniversary of the declaration to attach particular importance. competence to the analysis of facts that drive or hinder international cooperation of Indigenous peoples and to prepare practical recommendations to ensure the implementation of the provisions of Articles 36 and 39 of the Declaration. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for your statement. I now give the floor to the Manitoba Métis Foundation. Greetings. My name is Klema Chartier, Ambassador responsible for International Relations

for the Manitoba Métis Federation, the national government of the Red River Métis

in Western Canada, the sole and legitimate representative of the historic Métis Nation. With the election of the Trudeau Liberal government in October 2015. Canada, in the spring of 2016, fully embraced UNDRIP and embarked on a decade of reconciliation grounded in the Declaration. This led to the co-development of federal legislation implementing the Declaration in 2021, accompanied by a federal government action plan with annual progress reports. For the Red River Métis, the Métis Nation entered into an unprecedented decade of reconciliation, beginning with the signing of the Canada-Métis Nation Accord in April 2017, leading to unprecedented federal government budget allocations amounting to over $3 billion between 2018 and 2021. We, the Red River Métis, also engaged in rights reconciliation processes leading to a self-government agreement with Canada in 2021, a Canada-Métis Federation Treaty in November 2024 on self-government. This treaty is now in second reading in the House of Commons And we are hopeful that the ratification legislation will soon be adopted and our treaty thereby receiving constitutional protection. I thank you for your statement. We have time for only one more speaker. I would like to thank everyone for their statements. It's provided a really rich and full discussion. I apologize

to those speakers inscribed on the list that haven't been called, but we've had a really full, full list, and I've tried to keep to the 2 minutes, but my apologies to those speakers who weren't called. So I'd like to turn to the last speaker on the list, the Aceh Sumatra Indigenous Peoples. Right here. Thank you so much for the last speaker, Madam Chair. As we prepare to mark 20 years of UNDRIP, we must ask whether its promises have become reality for Indigenous people around

the world. Article 3 of UNDRIP recognizes our right to self-determination. However, for the Indigenous people of Aceh, Sumatra, Papua, and Malukas, this right remains remain largely unimplemented. Today, as we speak, thousands of indigenous people in Butong Atuh region of Aceh are peacefully protesting to stop mining in their ancestral territory. They are defending their land, environment, and future. Yesterday, a special rapporteur stated that Indonesia had stopped the mining project and had not issued any necessary permits. However, from the community, from the community and the ground, this does not reflect reality. The situation on the ground is different from what has been presented. We respectfully urge that independent verifications to be conducted and that the voices of the affected indigenous people to be heard directly. At the same time, Indonesia has constructed a pipeline to transport oil from Aceh in the Andaman region of Java— I mean, in the Andaman region to Java— while we, the indigenous people who own this land, receive nothing at all. So we respectfully affirm that the people of Aceh have the right to determine our own political future, including peaceful aspiration for an independent Aceh consistent with international law and human rights. After 20 years of UNDRIP implementation must be replaced promises, we call on the Special Rapporteur, AMRIP, and UN member states— Thank you. I thank you for your statement. And with that, I'd like to draw an end to Item 10. and invite my colleague Gam up to chair the next session on Indigenous languages. Thank you. Welcome once again

to all participants on behalf of EMRIP, Indigenous Peoples' representatives, member states, national human rights institutions, NGOs, and others. It is my pleasure to

chair this discussion under Item 7 on International Decade. Of Indigenous languages. In line with paragraph 10 of Human Rights Council Resolution 33/25, the Expert Mechanism coordinates its work and strengthens its cooperation with United Nations bodies and processes. As a designated member of the Global Task Force for Making a Decade for Indigenous Languages, the Expert Mechanism continues to support international efforts to advance the objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022 to 2032. Since the launch of the decade, the Expert Mechanism has provided a dedicated platform during the annual sessions for dialogue among Indigenous Peoples, States, and other stakeholders, facilitating the exchange of good practices and identification of challenges, related to language loss, revitalization, and promotion. Building on this earlier work on the role of language and culture in protection of Indigenous Peoples' rights and identities, the expert mechanism has consistently emphasized a human rights-based approach grounded in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. It has underscored the inextricable link between Indigenous languages and Indigenous peoples' identities, cultures, histories, and knowledge systems, recognizing that Indigenous languages are central to the revitalization— to the realization of Indigenous peoples' rights, including the right of self-determination. It has further emphasized the central role of Indigenous Peoples in the protection, revitalization, and promotion of Indigenous languages, and the importance of their full, effective, and meaningful participation in related policies, programs, and action plans. As the International Decade enters its 5th year and approaches its, its Midterm milestone in 2027. This discussion provides an important opportunity to take stock of progress made in implementation of the Global Action Plan and to identify critical gaps and challenges that remain. Particular attention may be given to issues relating to legal protections, sustainable financing, coordination, accountability, and effective implementation at the national level. This discussion is aimed at identifying measures to ensure full, effective, and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples in the design, implementation, and monitoring of policies, programs, and action plans related to Indigenous language revitalization. Indigenous Peoples must remain at the center of all efforts to protect, revitalize, and promote their languages. This discussion also provides an opportunity to identify concrete measures and consider priority actions needed to accelerate implementation of the decade and strengthen accountability, accountability for commitments made under it. We particularly welcome reflections on existing initiatives and good practices, including those led by Indigenous Peoples, and on concrete steps that can be taken by States, the United Nations system, and other stakeholders in the lead-up to the Decade's Midterm Review in 2027. As we look ahead, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, regions present new opportunities to support language learning, documentation, interpretation, and revitalization. At the same time, such developments must fully respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including free, prior, and informed consent and indigenous control over their linguistic and cultural heritage. As we engage in today's discussion, I encourage participants to reflect on the guiding questions before us. What progress has been made? What critical gaps remain? And what concrete actions are needed between now and the decade's midterm review in 2027 to ensure meaningful results on the ground? I look forward to hearing your perspectives and recommendations, so thank you. Now, I would, I would like to invite Anabel Benjamin Barra, representative of the Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages, to take the floor. You have 5 minutes. Thank you, Thank you, Chair. I would like to start this in my own indigenous people's language. Hoor-min to-ya acha-man-ji. Hee धर-meh, neen-gah-hee daya-te, ee-oo-la khad-akh-e khars, ko-ha ko-ha deh-re-tee

bar-ch-kam. Ee-er pa-noo rao, ara-meh-u khiri-man-ja. Aange neen-gan, hum ko-ha ko-ha jo-ha ra-ra. Dhanyabad. Esteemed members of EMRIP, distinguished delegates, and dear colleagues, Brothers and sisters, it is a great honor to join you at this 19th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Expert Mechanism for inviting me to participate in this important dialogue. I represent the Indigenous Peoples' Organization Indigene Global Confederation. From India on the Global Task Force of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Global Task Force and above all to listen and learn from you as we continue to advance the implementation of the decade. As we all know, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages was launched in 2022 in response to an urgent reality. Indigenous languages continue to disappear at an alarming rate across the world. For us Indigenous peoples, language loss is never only about words. Our language carry our identity, histories, our knowledge system, our values, and our ways of understanding the world. They connect generations and sustain our culture and in identities. When a language disappears, the whole community disappears. Humanity loses an unreplaceable source of knowledge and cultural diversity. At the same time, there are reasons for hope. Over the past years, important progress has been made in support of the Decade. Today, 17 countries have developed National Action Plans, with Honduras and Papua New Guinea among the most recent to launch theirs. It is equally encouraging to see more member states beginning this process, particularly in Africa and the Pacific regions that are home to extraordinary linguistic diversity. Yet, on the other hand, Indigenous Peoples are classified or reclassified into other non-Indigenous ethnic groups, making it difficult for them to preserve their identity, culture, and languages. One such community is Hmong Indigenous people from Asia. Also, several states have still not recognized Indigenous peoples in their country. As a result, there are no policies, framework for the protection, promotion, and preservation of their Indigenous languages. Despite challenges, regional cooperation is also gaining momentum. Earlier this year, 8 countries from the Central American Integration System launched the Central American Indigenous Languages Plan 2025-2032, demonstrating the value of coordinated action across borders and communities. The rapid development of digital technology and artificial intelligence also presents both opportunities and challenges for Indigenous languages. While these technologies can support the revitalization of Indigenous languages, they also raise important questions regarding the rights of Indigenous people to maintain ownership and control over their languages and knowledge. We have to be cautious how we are using these technologies. Ethical guidelines and implementation for the same should be stringently monitored. Several important initiatives are helping to address these challenges. The UNESCO's Global Roadmap for Multilingualism in the Digital Era, launched a few months ago after a wide consultation with the language communities, seeks to promote inclusive digital development for all languages. Partnerships with organizations such as Unicode and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, also known as ICANN, are helping ensure that Indigenous people can participate in digital spaces in their own languages. And the recently launched Data Commons Incubator for Indigenous Languages and Cultures is also supporting Indigenous-led initiatives to strengthen data governance and build digital infrastructures that reflect community priorities and values. Next year marks not only the midpoint of the decade, but also the 20th anniversary of the UNDRIP. This convergence offers a powerful opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved under both frameworks and to renew our collective resolve on what still needs to be done. This is why today's discussion is so important. We need to hear from Indigenous people, member states, and partners about the actions that are most needed and the priorities that should give us in the years ahead. I look forward to listening to your perspective and bringing your ideas back to the Global Task Force so that together we can continue building a future in which Indigenous languages are not only preserved but flourish for generations to come. Johar, thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Benjamin. Now we will turn to the speakers list. on this agenda item. So first I call on structural analysis of council systems. Chair, distinguished members of the expert

mechanism, contributing to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, Under Agenda Item 7, we highlight AI voice assistants in Indigenous

languages, enabling full conversations as a tool to support the implementation of Articles 13, 14, and 16 of the UNDRIP. This technology can significantly aid language preservation, benefiting both Indigenous elders who are often not fluent in the colonial language, as well as Indigenous youth who tend to be absorbed by the colonial language. To ensure this decade drives true linguistic sovereignty rather than digital colonialism, 3 criteria must be met. First, systems must be entirely free of cost avoiding corporate economic integration. Second, they must be decoupled from commercial interests, advertising, and data harvesting. Third, algorithms must be hyper-localized to accurately protect the rich village-to-village dialectal diversity, resisting forced linguistic standardization. We urge the expert mechanism to recommend that states fund non-commercial open-source AI tools for the International Decade and that Indigenous Peoples retain full data sovereignty over all digital linguistic resources. Thank you, Chair. Thank you very much for your statement. Now we move on to the next speaker. I give the floor to Duran, joint statement with Azul. Duran, joint statement with Azul. Ante ne sonde. No? All right, then I would

like to give the floor to Association Aql al-Hajib. Association Aql al-Hajib. Mina Abdou— No? Okay, then we go to the next speaker. Panel of African Experts on Indigenous Affairs. Joint statement with Congress Mondial Amazigh Organizations. Yes. Yes. Thank you, Chair, distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism, Honorable Assembly. As you know, the Decade on Indigenous Languages began in 2022, and its working group adopted from the very

get-go a Global Action Plan, but unfortunately no budget was allocated to it. Due to a lack of funding, the Global Action Plan remained as a promise on paper, and the International Working Group no longer meets except online, which significantly holds back its work. At the local level, only 20 national action plans were adopted. That's some 10% of the world's countries. As regards the implementation of those plans, for many countries, measures are merely symbolic. Even the law does not protect indigenous languages. That's the case for the Amazigh language in Morocco and Algeria where it has the status of official language but remains in great danger because it does not benefit from any real support that could save it in a lasting way due to a lack of political will. As a member of the Working Group for the Decade, I wrote in writing to the Director-General of UNESCO and other stakeholders sounding the alarm about the great difficulties the decade is facing. I suggest to ENRIP, the Permanent Forum, and the Special Rapporteur who are members of the International Working Group To strongly call on governments to ensure that they shoulder their responsibilities. I also call on indigenous peoples themselves to remind them that indigenous languages are first and foremost our languages and that we are therefore the first concerned. I urge them to be far more proactive and committed in order to save our languages. Next year we will be at the halfway mark of the decade and I encourage all of us to make that milestone a decisive stage for reboot— breathing fresh life into the International Decade and protecting and promoting our languages. Thank you. I thank you for your statement. Now let's move to the next speaker and give it to Colombia. Is Colombia in the hall? Gracias. Thank you, Chair. Colombia would like to reiterate its firm commitment to the International

Decade on Indigenous Languages, and we are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this important exchange.

As a multiethnic and multicultural nation, Colombia believes that the protection of linguistic diversity is a key responsibility of the state and a fundamental element for the preservation of Indigenous Peoples' cultural identity. Our country has promoted a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the linguistic rights of Indigenous Peoples, including activities carried out during the pro tempore presidency of the Andean Community. We have also promoted spaces on linguistic rights and debates on cross-border languages and projects aimed at promoting Indigenous languages in Andean libraries. We would also like to highlight structural steps forwards such as the indigenous system, which is aimed at protecting indigenous languages and fostering intergenerational transfer of knowledge. We also have an intercultural and indigenous healthcare system which includes well-being perspectives and territorial governance measures. We believe it is essential to strengthen sustainable funding for the decade and to strengthen the follow-up and monitoring mechanisms and to promote more robust international cooperation that makes it possible to achieve the goals that were set for 2032. We would like to call on member states and international organizations and cooperation partners to step up efforts in favor of sociolinguistics and to ensure that no Indigenous language is left behind. Thank you. I thank you for your statement. Now we move on to the next speaker, that is Adivasi Mahasabha Foundation, joint statement with Indigenea Global Confederation. Thank you, Joar. I am Rajkumar Roth, a Member of Parliament from

India. I came from a country whose Constitution is the world's largest written Constitution. On this occasion, I pay my respectful tribute to Dr. Babasaheb Bedekar,

the principal architect of the Constitution of India. I also respectfully remember the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and extend my salutations in Johar to Jaipal Sirmunda, who struggling advocate for the rights of indigenous tribal communities and the preservation of the traditional languages and culture in the questioner assembly. In India, the Bihari communities speak Bihari, the Gond communities speak Gond, the Santhal communities speak Santhal, the Meena communities speak Meena, Bodo communities speak the Bodo language, and many other tribal communities including the Ho, Urav, and Korbi, have their own unique languages and dialects that have remained alive in use for thousands of years. How in this era of modern language— I urge the United Nations to take concrete, effective measures for the preservation, promotion, and revitalization of the tribal language and dialects of India as well as of indigenous communities. First, I would also like to make special measure of the Sompeng, Santalina, Nicobari, and other high island-valley tribal communities living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These communities continue to live largely isolate from the, from the ministry. The present Great Nicobar Mega Project and other development activities poses serious threat to their existing languages, culture, and traditional way of life. This is an issue that demands our serious attention and collective action. Thank you. Thank you. I thank you for your statement. Now, I would like to call on the European Union to take the floor. European Union. Yes. Yes. Apologies, we would like to return to the speakers list later. Thanks. Okay, then I would like to call

on Guatemala to take the floor. Are you ready? Thank you, Chair. Guatemala is a pluricultural and multiethnic and

multilingual country. Therefore, we'd like to reaffirm that linguistic diversity

is an invaluable source of wealth that must be protected and transmitted

to future generations. Proof of this lies in our constitution and laws, which recognize, promote, and protect indigenous languages. We are aware that in our country there are still challenges for creating enabling environments for the preservation and protection of indigenous languages that are affected by racism and racial discrimination. One example is the accelerated loss of languages such as the Maya, However, since 2021, we have been promoting inter-institutional measures to breathe fresh life into this language in coordination with the community concerned. Regarding the International Decade on Indigenous Languages, since it was proclaimed in 2022, the Academy of Maya Languages of Guatemala has coordinated actions so that as part of the work of the National Council on Urban Development and Rural Development of Guatemala, there be a committee for monitoring the International Decade on Indigenous Languages tasked with providing advice on this topic. We have also promoted the construction of a National Action Plan for the International Decade on Indigenous Languages, which has made it possible for this tool to emerge as a cross-cutting axis that is strategic for our public institutions. This work has benefited from the support of the Ministry for Culture and Sport, which is the entity tasked with managing the decade in our country, and the Deputy Presidency of the Republic as the decisive political— decision-making entity. The action plan includes a number of components and expected outcomes and specific goals, such as technological applications for language learning, improving the capacities of public institutions and private institutions to serve We will have to move on to the next speaker, and I would like to check on Europe In One if you're ready or you would like to come later. Sincere apologies, I have a technical issue here, but I would very much like to come in later. Thank you.

All right, thank you. Then I would like to call on the next speaker, the Silkot In Nation Chief Francis. Yes. Hello. I'll say a few words

in my language and then English, and then I'll finish it with my language. The Tsalhqot'en vision is to fully

restore our nation to the strength of our ancestors, the Asayadam, who thrived in our homelands as a

powerful nation guided by the wisdom of our legends, the laws, and our people. Integral to this is the full restoration of the Tsalhqot'en language in everyday use. As an oral expression of this so-called encultural knowledge, ways of knowing and ways of doing, including how we understand the land, water, and resources. Given the importance of this issue, we make the following recommendations regarding the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. One, we ask that EMRIP urge the Human Rights Council to support the development of a convention On Indigenous peoples' languages. Two, we also urge Emrept, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, to cooperate on a high-level event at the midpoint of the decade to launch the work towards a convention. Gukuzun Chanashia Shenjehodel Tay Navarini Gatsain. Thank you. Thank you very much for the statement. Now I would like to call on Genève pour les Droits de l'Homme. Genève for Human Rights. I speak on behalf of you, on the Nubian community in Egypt. We have our own history and cultural identity, but we face

major challenges when it comes to preserving our identity. We have been subjected to repeated forced displacement from

our ancestral homeland, the most recent of which was the displacement caused by the construction of the high dam. This resulted not only in the loss of our land, but also in the endangerment of our language heritage and identity. Furthermore, the Egyptian authorities refused to grant us the necessary permits for any community initiative to teach our language to our children. This refusal obstructs our voluntary efforts and deprives our children of the opportunity to learn their mother tongue. Despite the absence of permits, we continue through our own efforts to organize limited courses which is to teach the basics of the Nubian language to children and young people within the same community associations. However, we lack a legal recognition preventing development into sustainable educational programs or the issuance of accredited certificates. This threatens to sever the connection between our generations and their identity and increase the risk of the extinction of our language in violation of the UNDRIP In particular, Articles 13 and 14, which guarantee our right to preserve our language and transmit it to our children and establish our own educational institutions in our language. Therefore, we call EMRIP to urge the Egyptian government to lift all administrative restrictions that hinder the teaching of the Nubian language and allow the establishment of community-based classes call on the government to take effective measures to protect our language and culture. We also call upon you to follow up on implementing recommendations related to our cultural rights in cooperation with the Egyptian government. We call upon you to encourage the government to engage in consultation with the representatives of our community on matters relating to our language and heritage. Protecting our language is not only our concern— Chair interrupts. So I thank you for your statement. Now I would like to call on the next speaker. That's Saving Ugra. Saving Ugra. Убожаемый президентил. Chair, I represent the Russian Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Ugra, bringing

together the Hanti, Manti, and Nenets. Ugra is a form of our own territorial autonomy. The International Decade of Indigenous

Languages has shown that preserving a language is not possible only through the efforts of the state or only through the efforts of the indigenous peoples themselves. The more lasting results are achieved when government bodies and academia and technology experts and the language speakers themselves work as equal partners. We have managed to fully digitalize the language of the Manti and to include it in the services of Yandex Translate, which is the most widely used translation— online translation engine used in Russia. And there are many languages there, including now the Manti language. The digital version of the language was developed for 8 years by programmers, linguists, and representatives of the Manti people themselves, with the financial support of the regional government. Thanks to the native speakers, the people of Manti managed to form a linguistic corpus which comprised 156,000 language pairs in Manti and Russian, and this made it possible to train or to automatic translation. Now we are seeing the digital language— we are digitalizing the Khanty language. 19,000 people speak it in Yugra. We believe that it is indigenous peoples that are the main guardians of the language, and their initiative is critically important. We call on the— for the development of mechanisms in order to preserve the languages in this way. Thank you. Statement as well as being right on dot. Now I would like to call on the International Movement for Advancement of Education, Culture, Social and Economic Development. Honorable Chair, distinguished members of the expert mechanism, panelists

and the fellow participants, I take the floor on behalf of the Kanni, also known as the Kannigar, an indigenous community of the Western Ghats, one of the world's 8 most critical

biodiversity hotspots spanning the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. For countless generations, the Kanni have been the original stewards of these ancient forests, sustaining an intimate relationship— intimate relationship with the land through their language, customary practices, medical knowledge, and sacred ritual traditions. The Kanni language, a distant Dravidian tongue with no written script, is critically endangered. Oral traditions, the forest songs, healing chants, ecological knowledge systems, and ceremonial rites that encode the community's identity are disappearing within a single generation. Rapid industrialization, large-scale plantation agriculture, and urbanization within and around their forest habitats are uprooting Kani families from ancestral territories. Modernization pressures, including displacement into areas far from the forest and the absence of support in preserving their mother tongue have left younger generation disconnected from the knowledge their elderly carry. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is unambiguous. Articles 8, 11, 13, 14, and 31 affirm the rights of indigenous people to maintain, protect, and develop their cultural heritage, languages, and traditional knowledge, and to transmit them to future generations. Article 19 requires states to consult and cooperate with the indigenous people before adopting development measures that affect them. When a language falls silent, an entire way of knowing the world is lost forever. This is not only the cause of Kannada people but also the entire community of indigenous people. Their language, cultural heritage, and an identity must be preserved and their right upheld, not for the sake of heritage alone but for the cultural continuity of the generations yet to come. I thank the chair and the expert mechanism for this opportunity. Thank you. I thank you for your statement as well. Now I would like to give the floor to Indigenous Peoples Network of Southern Africa. Are you not in the hall? I would like to then to give the floor to the next speaker, and I would like to request the secretary to help me

with the pronunciation of the organization. Organización Milenaria Ashaninka y Nomatsiyenga de Pangoa. Muchas gracias. Thank you very much, Chairperson. Now in Spanish. Thank you very much, Chairperson, for this opportunity. My name is Clayton Valentin. I'm a Nomasenga indigenous person and representative of the Millenaria Ashanginika Nomasenga Organization.

The International Decade of Indigenous Languages represents a historic opportunity to protect and rejuvenate original languages. Nonetheless, in Peru, Amazonian indigenous languages such as Noma Tsigenga and Anashinka continue to confront a real risk of disappearance and weakening if sustained measures are not adopted to ensure the participation of indigenous peoples themselves. Where we live, our languages continue to thrive in our communities. Nonetheless, their transmission to new generations is jeopardized by migration, the predominance of Spanish, and limited access to public services, particularly education and healthcare, as well as cultural and linguistic core areas in these services. Although the state in Peru recognizes the languages officially and continues in bilingual education, there are gaps. Scarce Indigenous language materials, a lack of curricula, particularly in the most remote communities, we continue to see a limited effective enjoyment of our linguistic rights. As a result, we call on EMRIP to recommend to the Peruvian state to step up investment in bilingual intercultural education, to strengthen training of Indigenous language teachers and the promotion of the documentation and digitalization as well as rejuvenation of original languages, ensuring the participation directly of indigenous peoples in all of these initiatives. Language is much more than communication. It represents memory, identity, wisdom, and territory. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on the World Uyghur Congress. World Uyghur Congress. Mr. Chair, we welcome the work of MRIP, and of UNESCO. The decade rests on a simple premise set out in the Los Pinos Declaration: language rights are not

a cultural add-on. They are inseparable from the broader human rights of communities at risk. We ask that this dialogue

hold on to that premise, because for some peoples, the decade is unfolding alongside active suppression, not revitalization. For the Uyghur people, bilingual education, once a genuine, if imperfect, perfect space for the Uyghur language in schools, has been systematically phased out over the past decade in favor of Mandarin-only instruction, beginning in early childhood. Uyghur language publishing, broadcasting, and religious instruction have been severely restricted. Children raised in state-run boarding institutions are, by design, separated from the linguistic environments of their families at the exact age when a language is passed on or lost. This is not a gap in revitalization efforts. It is a deliberate removal of the conditions revitalization depends on: children hearing the language at home, elders passing it to grandchildren, communities using it without fear. We ask that the decade's monitoring framework explicitly accounts for the situations of active suppression, not only for gaps in promotion. A global action plan measured solely by vitalization initiatives will systematically miss the communities most at risk since suppression rarely announces itself as a policy failure. It presents as unity, modernization, or national standardization. We ask EMRIP and UNESCO to ensure that the decade's second phase includes indicators capable of detecting active suppression and to invite reporting from affected communities directly, not only through state-mediated channels. Thank you, Chair. Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on the Russian Federation to take the floor. Russian Federation. Chairman, the Russian Federation would like to reaffirm its commitment to the goals of the International National Decade on Indigenous

Languages, and we consistently implement national measures. We have managed to form a set of organizational, financial, and legal

mechanisms aimed at achieving the goals of the decade. And in our regions, we have regional action plans which ensures the localization of the tasks on the ground with a high level of involvement of the population and the local businesses as well as the authorities. Last year, we adopted the foundations of our state language policy, which enshrined the preservation of indigenous languages as a long-term priority for our state policy. There was also the National Language Day, or Russian Languages Day. We are involved with the relevant UNESCO platforms, and on the online platform dedicated to the decade, there have been more than 3,000 publications about Russian events. We are keen on ensuring the participation of Russian Indigenous Peoples in the International Decade's events, and we are sure that we need to ensure efficient access in the Russian language to all information about the events organized in the context of the decade. The half-term point of the decade was discussed at a high-level event in Russia which took place at the start of July with representatives from UNESCO and guests from more than 130 states. Chairman, during the second part of the International Decade, Russia will continue to attach great attention to ensuring effective access by indigenous peoples to land and bioresources as a system forming conditions and the necessary conditions for protecting the language in the context of growing globalization. We believe it is essential to continue attaching great significance to these issues in the context of the decade. Thank you. I thank you, Russian Federation, for your statement. Now, I would like to call again on the Association Akal El-Hajjeb. I was informed they could not understand my pronunciation. Association Akal El-Hajjeb. Bonjour. Merci. Hello. Thank you very much, Chairperson. UNESCO proclaimed

the Decade for Indigenous Languages 2022 to 2032. As a result, it's Morocco's opportunity and responsibility to make an example of the promotion and transmission of indigenous languages. Fifteen years

after the 2011 Constitution, which enshrined the Tamazigh language as an official. State language and 7 years after the adoption of Organic Law No. 2616, the work is not yet done. Indeed, the timetable for implementing this has now overextended the stipulated length, and this means that an entire generation of Amazigh speakers continues to suffer systematic linguistic discrimination. Other problematic issues include the lack of languages in administrative services. The target set down of 2,373 agents by the end of 2025 training languages has only actually reached 491 people. Those employing them and the public administrative offices have still not reached their targets. Those who are salaried are not paid on time, and they are called on to carry out tasks foreign to their contracts. We urge the National UNESCO Office to work hand in hand with Morocco in order to ensure constructive proposals for the promotion of Amazigh are brought to bear. We call on the Ministry for Digital Transition as well as the ministry responsible to seriously enforce its regulations and to impose the standards that have been laid down to fully respect the dignity of workers. We also expect proper oversight. We call for the funding laws for 2027 to assign the necessary budget to ensure general Tamarizg language teaching across the entire national territory, pending Tamarizg becoming a full language of teaching. And as the Amazigh speakers should also be integrated— as the chair interrupts. Now I would like to give the floor to Society for Threatened Peoples. Society for Threatened Peoples. Спасибо, гospodин, пожалуйста. Thank you. The Russian Federation regularly declares that it supports indigenous languages, and there is a Day of Indigenous

Languages of Russia, and state programs are adopted. However, the real state of affairs reflects that the situation is quite the

opposite. The main condition for preserving any language is education. It is in this field that in recent years we have seen a significant shrinking of opportunities for studying native languages. Before 2012, the federal educational standards allowed for up to 5 years a week of tuition in the native language and literature, but now that has been reduced to 2 hours, which is clearly insufficient for preserving and transmitting a language to the next generation. Moreover, studying native languages is no longer mandatory. It's become voluntary. But such a choice cannot be considered to be a free choice when education and vocational training, the labour market, and most of the media all function almost exclusively in the Russian language. Moreover, in many schools there is a lack of funding for separating pupils into groups, and all you need is for a few parents to decline learning the native language for the entire class to be deprived of the opportunity. We are also— even more alarming is the situation in preschool education where kindergartens that provide tuition in the indigenous languages are almost non-existent. At the same time, we're seeing the presence of native languages in the media shrinking as well. We call on the expert mechanism to recommend to the Russian Federation to review its educational policy regarding the languages of indigenous peoples and to ensure sufficient contact hours in education and to create real conditions for them to be taught in schools and kindergarten, and also to support media in Indigenous languages. Only thus can we achieve the goals of the Indigenous Language Decade. Yeah, I thank you for your statement. Now I would like to call on South Africa to take the floor. South Africa. Thank the EMRIP for its efforts at addressing the challenges confronting the Indigenous people around the world. In South Africa, the cultural heritage of Indigenous people was

in the past marginalized and demonized by colonizers in deliberate efforts to undermine their very existence.

This also affected critical aspects of our traditions and heritage linked to land ownership, language use, livelihoods, and social structures. To reverse this trend, since its inauguration in 1995, the South African Human Rights Commission has been involved in promoting, monitoring, and ensuring the realization of rights of indigenous people in South Africa. South Africa has embarked on ambitious efforts aimed at redressing the problems of its indigenous people, including through legislative policy and judicial interventions. Considering this pursuit for an inclusive and equitable society, our democratic government has made a series of sectoral advance— advancements which include the implementation of a range of measures to build social cohesion, such as increasingly introducing indigenous languages in public schools, with over 2,400 targeted under the current administration. This program is aimed at fostering a greater understanding of different cultures between learners that break down cultural barriers. UNESCO declared 2022 to 2032 as the International Day of Indigenous Languages. This declaration provides an opportunity for all of us to intensify ways in which we develop, preserve, and promote our indigenous languages, and we support this declaration. We share the concern that the vast number of Indigenous languages remain in danger of extinction, and in this regard, we stress the urgent need to preserve, promote, revitalize Indigenous languages. In particular— I'm sorry, but I have to stop you because the time is exhausted. Thank you very much for your statement. I would now like to call on the next speaker, and that's Kimberley Aboriginal Women Women's Council. Yes, Chair, I speak on behalf of First Nations women from the Kimberley region of Australia. For Indigenous

peoples, language carries our law, culture, identity, histories, and relationship with country. It holds the knowledge of our ancestors and shapes the responsibilities we carry for future generations.

Across Australia, many Indigenous languages remain critically endangered as a direct consequence of colonisation, forced assimilation, and policies. Yet our languages endure because our elders, families, and communities have never stopped carrying them. We are the first teachers, passing language, stories, song, and cultural knowledge to our children and grandchildren. Every time an Indigenous language is spoken, it strengthens identity, belonging, community well-being, and self-determination. UNDRIP recognises our rights to revitalise, use, develop, and transmit our languages to future generations. They require sustained investment, community-led language programs, bilingual education, and the long-term support of Indigenous language teachers, translators, and knowledge holders. As new technologies evolve, they must support, not replace, Indigenous languages. AI and digital tools should be developed in partnership with Indigenous peoples, respecting free, prior, and informed consent and Indigenous data sovereignty. We call on states to invest in Indigenous-led language revitalization, support Indigenous women and elders as language custodians. Indigenous peoples must retain ownership and control over their language in both physical and digital spaces. When our languages thrive, we thrive. Thank you. Thank you very much for your statement. Now we will be the last two speakers before the lunch break, and I would like to call on the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia. Спасибо, гospodин президент. Thank you, Chair. If the If efforts to preserve languages will be limited only to documenting

them and digitalization and holding thematic events, then the languages will not be preserved, let alone restored. Languages can only live where its natural linguistic environment is

to be found. In the cities of the Khakassia Republic, indigenous peoples' languages are hardly spoken but for a few native speakers. And we— this is a small settlement, hard to reach, where the language is used for daily purposes and is handed, transmitted from parents to children. But these settlements are disappearing. They are being disrupted because of of the traditional uses of their lands being disrupted and people are forced to move to the cities as a consequence of the degradation of ecosystems and the very long-term absence of livelihoods there. And their natural linguistic environment disappears with them, as does the language. At the same time, there's a parallel process happening. Toponyms are part and parcel of indigenous peoples' languages. They preserve the memory of territory— territories and places and histories and the, um, history of the people. But now they are being replaced by the names of extractive industries, projects. The list of such names is a long one, and this is not a case of individual examples but a clear trend. The names of indigenous places are turning into industrial place names, and this is a violation of the rights of indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent as well. For your statement. Now we go to the last speaker before the lunch session, and I call on the World Nadeshiko Association for pursuing historical truth. Thank you, dear mother of the floor. My name is Miyo Sugita, former member of Japan's National Diet. Today I wish to speak about the Okinawan dialect in Japan. While

regional dialects differ across Japan, people understand each other Ichiri and Okinawan speech is one of those Japanese dialects. Due to geographical

association, Okinawa retained archaic Japanese terms from maritime trade dating to the 7th century while developing its own unique local dialect. However, some now falsely label itself separate, Ukrainian language, and destigate Okinawan as an indigenous people supported by a neighboring country's political agendas. The Okinawan dialect preserves older Japanese vocabulary and grammar, reflecting a deep connection to Japan. Okinawans have long shared Japanese history and culture and should not be viewed as a separate, indigenous people. We ask EmRIP to investigate this history using objective evidence and careful research. Thank you very much. I thank you for your statement, and that was the last speaker before the lunch session. So I also like to thank all of you for your intervention. Now we will break for lunch and resume at 3 PM, and then we will continue with the remaining list of speakers. Thank you very much. Thank you.