8th Meeting, 19th Session Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP)

Good afternoon. Welcome back, everyone. Can we settle down now? Good afternoon. We will now start with the list of speakers for this afternoon, and I would like to call on Winden Jangen. Windenjagen Etlam. Are they here in the room? Thank you.

I'm Aissa Ossoum from the Indigenous Grants Program of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. I'm speaking on behalf of the Windenjangan organization, a language which is disappearing together with a collective memory of knowledge and identity and a view of the world. Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples to convey their language and their cultural system to future generations. And yet major challenges remain, particularly the lack of sustainable financing, limited access to education in indigenous languages, and insufficient support for initiatives taken by the communities themselves. The Adlamp and Pular written language systems show that community-based initiatives play a key role in revitalizing languages as well as the intergenerational transmission, education, adaptation of languages to IT. Thus, we recommend that UNESCO acknowledge the indigenous written system as part of the tangible and intangible cultural identity heritage and to make available funding and enable the transmission of future generations. We would ask states to fully incorporate indigenous languages into the educational system, public services, and IT transformation policies together with indigenous peoples. To the expert mechanism, we would ask them to draw up practical guidelines to implement the language rights of indigenous peoples and to follow progress made during the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Looking towards 2027, indigenous peoples shouldn't just benefit from language policies. They should be the key drivers, protect their language and maintain their language. This means that their language would be preserved. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus affirms that the survival of Indigenous languages is inseparable from the survival of our peoples, cultures, and sovereign identities. Language is not merely cultural expression, it is a fundamental human right. And the vessel of ancestral wisdom, customary law, and collective dignity. In Asia, linguistic erosion is not a passive loss but the direct result of shrinking democratic space and systemic rights violations. In 2023 alone, 321 documented cases including land dispossession, criminalization, intimidation, and violence against women illustrate how assimilation policies dismantle the very structures needed for language survival. In Malaysia, Indigenous organizations and their supporters are using digital storytelling, animation, and artificial intelligence to revitalize Indigenous languages. These technologies are not replacing Indigenous knowledge. They are helping to bring it to life for the next generation through children's stories, educational materials, and community-led digital content. Indigenous peoples are advancing data sovereignty through the Indigenous Navigator initiatives enabling Indigenous community-generated evidence to challenge state data and narratives. The Asian Framework on Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty 2023 is a milestone, ensuring oral traditions and spiritual knowledge are protected under community-controlled protocols. We highlight successful initiatives such as centers of excellence in village governance in Malaysia and Thailand, and the documentation of customary laws in Indigenous languages. These initiatives prove that revitalization must be anchored in self-determination, territorial rights, and community-led education. We call on states and UN agencies to recognize and fund Indigenous learning centers and teachers, protect territorial rights as the foundation of linguistic survival, mandate Indigenous data sovereignty in monitoring, and adopt inclusive policies ensuring women, youth, and persons with disabilities lead this decade. Protecting our languages is protecting our future. We urge Emir to ensure this decade delivers structural change, not symbolism. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to move on to the Nature Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy.

Gracias, señor presidente. Thank you, Chairman. I'm speaking as an indigenous woman from Brazil and a grantee from the United Nations Indigenous Program. I would like to give voice to the recommendations put forward by the National Group on the International Decade of Indigenous Languages in Brazil. Indigenous representatives from various regions of the country. Indigenous languages are a lot more than communication instruments. They contain ancestral knowledge, spirituality, collective memory, and our profound relationship with the land. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Articles 13, 14, and 16 acknowledges the right of Indigenous peoples to revitalize, use, and transmit their languages to future generations. Similarly, ILO Convention 169 establishes an obligation for states to preserve and promote these languages. However, the loss of language continues to be a reality in Brazil and in various regions of the world, whereas indigenous peoples continue almost alone to take on the responsibility of protecting this cultural heritage or this heritage of mankind. That is why we recommend MRIP to encourage states to strengthen financing mechanisms for national action plans of the decade, to set up funds for language revitalization, support initiatives spearheaded by indigenous peoples, and guarantee our full and effective participation in all language policies. Protecting our languages means protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. I hope that this decade will be a time of specific commitments, appropriate financing, and transformative actions. Nothing about us without us. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on Congress Populaire Kotumir Kanak. Are you in the room? Congress Populaire Kotumir Kanak. Thank you.

Good afternoon. Indigenous mother tongues are the heritage of our ancestors created many millennia ago. Not— they began through the totemic mutations of human beings. The worship of ancestors and rituals cannot be taken from a mother tongue because they express our respective philosophies. Every word as well as phonetics provides a measure of the past, present, and future. The mother tongue through words, the tone, gestures are specific when they are used during traditional custom baptisms where the first names of grandparents, grandmothers, and grandfathers are taken during traditional weddings or during separation of the spirit from the body. The mother tongue remains key, holistic, and specific to every request that we make of branches, barks, minerals, and our totems, whether they be mammals or animals. Our country, New Caledonia, makes up 28 mother tongues which are all different from each other. The practice of our customs, animist ancestral faith passed down orally from generation to generation through our ancestors, have made the survival of our languages possible today. It is our duty now to preserve our mother tongues through practice of our ancestral cultures and customs. There are only a small number of languages that have been recognized, and we note that we are losing speakers as generations go by because many parents, which is the case in my traditional country, speak French to their children. To overcome this gap, we would suggest that the 28 languages be subject to education in their own languages to be adapted to our ancestral living conditions and thereby multiply the chances of preservation of these languages. Custom is my natural religion. It is my constitution and that of my people. It is my life and my society. Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much for the statement. Now I would like to call on Nishnaabeg Aski Nation. Nishnaabeg Aski Nation.

Thank you, Chair. The Nishnaabeg Aski Nation welcomes this discussion as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages approaches its midterm review. Indigenous languages are not only expressions of Indigenous cultures, they are institutions of Indigenous governance. The decade's success will be measured by whether Indigenous languages are once again lived spoken, and transmitted within our nations. Indigenous languages carry laws, treaty relationships, ceremonies, identity, and knowledge across generations. When a language is lost, a nation's capacity to govern itself is diminished. Our delegation comes from nations whose languages were targeted by Canada's policies of forced assimilation and language suppression. Today, we carry the responsibility of their resurgence, reminding us that revitalization of Indigenous languages is not only about preserving words but fulfilling our responsibilities to future generations. We offer 4 recommendations. First, member states should develop or update on Indigenous languages— on language action plans in partnership with Indigenous peoples before the decade's midterm review in 2027. Second, establish sustained financing with measurable implementation target and public reporting. Third, ensure AI initiatives affecting Indigenous languages, including language technologies, data infrastructure, and related developments are governed through FPIC, Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Effective Regulation. Fourth, the expert mechanism should continue advancing discussions on an international convention on Indigenous language language rights to strengthen legal protection, accountability, and sustain international cooperation beyond the decade. Our responsibility is to ensure the next generation inherits living indigenous languages, not only recorded ones. Miigwech.

Thank you very much for the statement. Now I would like to call on the European Union I hope you're ready now.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you for your patience. Distinguished Chair, members of the Expert Mechanism, distinguished Indigenous Peoples, the European Union reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the rights of Indigenous Peoples as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and international human rights law to revitalize, use, develop, and transmit their languages. As the International Decade of Indigenous Languages approaches its midterm review, we welcome the progress made while recognizing that many Indigenous languages remain under severe threat. Accelerated implementation of the Global Action Plan requires sustained political commitment, adequate financing, and the full, effective, and meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples. The EU recognizes that Indigenous languages are central to cultural identity, self-determination, and the transmission of Indigenous knowledge. We see opportunities for digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to support language documentation, education, and revitalization, provided that they're provided— that they're developed with the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples and respect their rights and data governance. We're seriously concerned about attempts by certain states to instrumentalize Indigenous Peoples for pursuing geopolitical ambitions. The European Union continues to support Indigenous Peoples through its human rights policies and partnerships and remains committed to promoting inclusive rights-based digital transformation. Distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism, What concrete actions should states prioritize to strengthen financing, accountability, and the responsible use of emerging technologies for Indigenous language revitalization? I thank you.

Thank you very much, European Union. Now I would like to call on Australia to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Australia recognizes the safeguarding Indigenous peoples' languages is central to cultural identity and community well-being. We acknowledge that there is still much work required for the preservation, revitalization, and promotion of the critical status of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' language. Australia remains actively involved in the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2023, having represented the Asia-Pacific group on Global Task Force for Making a decade of action for Indigenous languages since its establishment. Australia's participation in the International Decade is guided by the principles of nothing for us without us, working in genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples consistent with the principles of self-determination. The Australian Government has established the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Policy Partnership. The partnership brings together governments and First Nations representatives to to work in genuine partnerships to accelerate progress towards Closing the Gap Target 16, Culture and Language, including increasing the number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken. The Languages Policy Partnership enables genuine partnership and coordinated national approach to language revitalization. In 2025, Australia committed funding for the International Decade activities over 3 years, including continuation of the International Decade Directions Group and support for global engagement and knowledge sharing with other First Nations. As a current UNESCO Executive Board member, Australia supports the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and efforts to ensure global cooperation and deliver tangible outcomes for the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages. Australia welcomes opportunities with Indigenous peoples, member states, and UN agencies to support ambitious, meaningful, and lasting UN reform, which ensures the continuation of this important work to conserve and revitalize Indigenous Peoples' languages. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Australia, for this statement. Now I would like to call on Waipapa Taumatarau, University of Auckland. Are you in the room, University of Auckland? All right, then in the meantime, I would like to call on Mexico to take the floor.

Muchas gracias, señor presidente. Thank you very much, Chairman. We are grateful for this dialogue on the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This is a decade which Mexico supports. In Mexico, we are undertaking many efforts to revitalize and strengthen indigenous languages. Article 2 of our Constitution establishes the ability of the indigenous peoples to use, preserve, protect, develop, and disseminate their indigenous languages, and the obligation of governmental institutions to have interpreters and translators who are trained. That is why the Mexican government strengthens teaching, transmission, and preservation of 62 languages which belong to 58 indigenous peoples in 22 federative states of the country. And this is through the establishment of 400 community houses and 400 language promoters who are operated and run by indigenous peoples as subjects of public law. In addition, in 2023, the University of Indigenous Languages of Mexico was inaugurated. It aims to provide higher education to train professionals in Indigenous languages at the levels of BA, specialty, MA, and PhD. The university has BAs in the teaching of Indigenous languages, interpretation and translation into Indigenous languages, as well as intercultural Indigenous communication. Lastly, I am pleased to report that this year Mexico has taken on the presidency of the Ibo-American Institute of Indigenous Languages. The task is to promote the use, conservation, and development of indigenous languages which are spoken in Latin America and the Caribbean. Thank you very much, Chairman.

Thank you very much, Mexico. Now I would like to call on Norway to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. For a language to thrive, it must be actively used in everyday life. Today, this includes being seamlessly integrated into digital environments such as screens, platforms, and speech-based technologies. Younger generations in particular rely on digital platforms for communication. Therefore, to revitalize, preserve, and strengthen Indigenous peoples' languages, these languages must be fully functional and accessible in digital spaces. Digital literacy skills and lifelong access to digital learning should reflect the specific social, cultural, and linguistic contexts of each society. This is essential to ensure that people of all ages and backgrounds can use the internet meaningfully, securely, and safely, including Indigenous peoples. In our engagement in the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, Norway has underlined that participation in the digital society is a democratic issue. Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the technological landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for indigenous peoples' languages. We must act to ensure these languages are included in this development. Access to digital arenas is a prerequisite exercising rights, participating in public life, and being heard on equal terms. We see that Indigenous Peoples' languages all over the world face many of the same challenges. Despite longstanding multilingual systems, Indigenous Peoples' languages still lack sufficient access. We urge major technology companies to strengthen their efforts in close cooperation with Indigenous communities. Norway values collaboration through the UN International Decade of Indigenous Languages and other key forums such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Norway, for the statement. Now I would like to call on the National EV Chairs Forum to take the floor.

The National Iwi Chairs Forum and Aotearoa Independent Monitoring Mechanism commend the expert mechanism for recognising that Indigenous language revitalisation is fundamental to the exercise of Indigenous rights. Te reo Māori, the Māori language, is the living expression of whakapapa, genealogy, tikanga, customs, mātauranga, Māori knowledge, and rangatiratanga, sovereignty and self-determination. It carries our histories, values, identities, and responsibilities. Te reo Māori revitalisation is recognised as a leading example of Indigenous language regeneration. Our 2026 report, however, highlights the success of Māori-led learning institutions. Despite this and protections for te reo Māori within Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the UNDRIP, current government policy and legislative attacks seek to undermine its progress and status, demonstrating a total lack of constitutional regard for our human and Indigenous rights, including those related to our Indigenous language. Examples presented by IPOs in this session signify that states must be reminded of their obligations according to the principle of non-regression and those included in Articles 5, 13, 14, 18, and 19 of the UNDRIP. We respectfully recommend that the expert mechanism continue documenting Indigenous-led language revitalization models, encourage states to develop long-term Indigenous language action plans in partnership with Indigenous peoples, promote greater support and investment in Indigenous-governed educational institutions, as well as families and communities as centers of language transmission. mission, and recognize Indigenous languages as essential to self-determination, cultural continuity, and nation-building. Koterau te mauri o te mana Māori. When Indigenous languages thrive, Indigenous peoples thrive. Tēnā koutou.

I thank you for your statement. Now I would like to call on Nama Cohen, Network of Heritage Advocacy.

Thank you, Chair. My name is Nicodemus Cooper. The Nama Network of Heritage Advocacy welcomes this dialogue on International Decade of Indigenous People and commends UNESCO, EMRIP, and all partners working to preserve the world indigenous peoples' languages. I speak on behalf of Nama people in Botswana. Whose language, Nama-Koba, faces a critical risk of disappearing. More than a century ago, our community was forcibly displaced from our ancestral lands during the colonial genocide in the present-day Namibia. Today, only a few elders in Botswana remain fluent speakers and readers of our language. With every elder we lose, we lose an irreplaceable library of history, traditional knowledge, and cultural identity. We are, however, encouraged by the positive steps taken by the new government in promoting linguistic diversity from the introduction of indigenous language, including Samoan languages, on national broadcasting. We sincerely appreciate this commitment and hope that future phases will also include Nama-Kobap, ensuring that all indigenous communities are represented. Language revitalization should not stop at national borders. The Nama-Kobap language is well established in neighboring Namibia, where it benefits from a documented language policy educational materials, teacher training, and university-level instructions. This presents an important opportunity for regional cooperation. We respectfully encourage the government of Botswana to utilize its strong bilateral relations with Namibia to develop a joint language revitalization initiative. Such cooperation could include the exchange of teachers and language experts, adaptation of existing curriculum and learning materials, cross-border community language camps, academic partnerships between universities, digital language resources, and support of documentation and teacher training. As we implement the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, we encourage states to view transboundary indigenous languages not as separate national issues but as a shared regional heritage requiring collaborative action. Revitalization language—

I'm sorry, your time is up. is exhausted, so I would like to call on the next speaker. That's Ukraine. Ukraine, please take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Since the temporary occupation of Crimea in 2014, indigenous peoples of Ukraine, particularly the Crimean Tatars, have faced systematic violations of their fundamental rights, including restrictions on language, education, culture, and identity. These actions represent a deliberate policy aimed at weakening indigenous peoples and accelerating assimilation. The Crimean Tatar language has been among the main targets of these efforts. Before the occupation, Crimea, Crimea had 384 school classes providing education in the Crimean Tatar language, enabling thousands of children to learn in their native language and maintain their cultural heritage. Under the occupation administration of the Russian Federation, this system has been gradually dismantled, with opportunities for Crimean Tatar education reduced to a minimum. And Russian becoming dominant in schools and public life. The occupying authorities have replaced Ukrainian educational standards with the Russian curriculum, removed Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar perspectives from textbooks, and introduced ideological programs promoting loyalty to the occupying state. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, similar practices have expanded to other parts of temporarily occupied territory, where Ukrainian language education has been nearly eliminated and children are forced to study according to Russian programs without access to their native language or independent historical narratives. These policies violate international obligations, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which guarantees indigenous peoples' rights to preserve, develop, and transmit their languages and cultural traditions. They also undermine the objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages established by the UN to protect endangered languages worldwide. UNESCO estimates that around 40% of the world's approximately 7,000 languages are at risk of disappearing, highlighting the urgent need for action. The experience of the Crimean Tatars demonstrates how occupation and repression can threaten linguistic diversity. The International Decade should serve as a platform for stronger monitoring, support for language revitalization, documentation of violations, and accountability. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Ukraine. Now I would like to call on the Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Northeast Zone, a joint statement with Bodo National Students Union.

Chair, distinguished chair, members of EMRIP, dear indigenous sisters and brothers, I speak today on behalf of Bodo indigenous people from Assam, India. To draw urgent attention to the situation of Bodo language within the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Bodo is an indigenous Tibeto-Burman language of the Bodo people of northeast India, North Bengal, and Meche Anchal of Nepal, carrying oral histories, spiritual worldviews, and ecological knowledge that have been transmitted across generations. Yet, like many other indigenous languages of India and worldwide, Bodo, despite one of the recognized and listed in the 8 scheduled languages of India, continues to face pressures and challenges from dominant state languages in education, administration, media, leading to intergenerational language shift and loss of cultural identity. We welcome the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and embrace leadership in linking language with the broader rights of Indigenous peoples, including self-determination and participation in decision-making. In this spirit, we call on India and relevant UN bodies to ensure mother tongue-based, culturally appropriate multilingual education in Bodo language and ensure to use Bodo in public administration and services in Bodo territories. And support community-led initiatives for documentation, revitalization, and digital adaptation of the language, including through fair access to digital platforms and emerging technologies such as AI. For Bodo and other Indigenous languages to thrive, they must be alive in homes, schools, community institutions, and on our screens. We urge EMRIP, UNESCO, and states to—

Thank you very much. You have exhausted your time. So now I would like to call on the Wind Sports International to take the floor.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. Through you, we call for the Human Rights Council to support the establishment of a legally binding International Convention on Indigenous Peoples' Languages as an outcome of the International Decade for Indigenous Languages. We urge all 4 UN mechanisms, the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly together, to cooperate in creating a high-level event at the upcoming decade midpoint to serve as the launch of the establishment of this convention. We propose for consideration the expert mechanism within your mandate and in consultation with the other mechanisms, the Moscow Convention as a template for the development of a legally binding convention. As a good practice, the Samson Cree Nation has advanced this item noting 2 recent initiatives. First, the Nipisiikopaka Wasisek Samson Cree Nation Children's Declaration, which mandates the central inclusion of the UN Declaration Article 22, amongst others, in the development, implementation, and enforcement of all Samson Nation's policies, programs, services, and laws. Secondly and finally, the UN Declaration and its complete translation and interpretation into Nehiyawewin. Our sacred and inherent Cree language. Nehewewin is declared by law as an official language of the Maskwacîs Cree. Together, these will strengthen, protect, enforce in action all rights, including Indigenous children's language rights. Thank you. Hai, hai.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on the Africa Indigenous Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development to take the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Language forms one of the greatest expressions of cultural identities. Our language is connected with our spirituality, with our environment, and with our social well-being. The loss of any language signals not only the loss of its civilization, It is a final funeral rite for the loss of a people. Last year, Mr. Chair, the Nigerian government abolished the teaching of mother tongue in primary schools, and of course you know the impact of that on our next generation. It is a recognition of this that we are calling on EMRIP to urge the Nigerian government to return the teaching of mother tongue in primary schools in the country. Secondly, we call on the establishment of a fund for the decade that will be assessed by indigenous people and others to carry out activities aimed at preserving, revitalizing, and promoting their language. We call on UNESCO as the lead agency for the decade to carry out the national mapping of indigenous languages and ensure that nations commit resources to the development of such language. We also call on the integration of EPIC in the development of artificial intelligence policies in relation to the use and translation of indigenous languages. And lastly, of course, Mr. Chair, you know the important role that land plays in language conservation and the language revitalization. We urge the dismantling of the obnoxious colonial land use laws that are in all our countries, and in its place indigenous laws that promote our land use and, of course, our land protection. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I call on La Voix de la Femmes Amazighes. Is that understandable? Hello. Yes. Thank you.

Distinguished members of the expert mechanisms, distinguished representatives of Indigenous Peoples, my name is Karima Skounti and I'm speaking on behalf of La Voix de la Femme Amazigh, an Indigenous non-governmental organization working to promote and defend the rights of Amazigh women. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we must reaffirm that the value of this declaration lies not only in its recognition, but in its effective implementation. For indigenous women, the gap between international commitments and daily realities remains a major concern. Amazigh women in Morocco have historically played a fundamental role in preserving our language, identity, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge. However, many continue to face multiple forms of discrimination that affect their their ability to fully enjoy their rights. In our communities, women still encounter barriers in accessing essential public services, including healthcare, education, justice, and administrative services. Language barriers, geographical isolation, and insufficient consideration of Indigenous realities can prevent them from exercising rights that should be guaranteed to all. The Declaration recognizes through Articles 2, 18, 21, 22, and 23, the principles of non-discrimination, participation, equality, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples to be involved in decisions affecting them. We therefore encourage States, United Nations human rights mechanisms, and relevant institutions to strengthen the implementation of the Declaration by ensuring the meaningful participation of Indigenous women and youth, guaranteeing culturally appropriate public services, and supporting Indigenous organizations working at the community level. The Declaration is a powerful instrument, but its true impact will be measured by the changes it creates in the daily lives of Indigenous Peoples. For Indigenous women, recognizing their rights means ensuring that they can live with dignity, equality, and full participation. I thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now I would like to call on Venezuela to take the floor.

Mr. Chair, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela thanks the experts for organizing a meeting on this agenda item. For our country, the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples is a commitment to the memory and cosmovision of our people. 42 indigenous languages are spoken in our country, a live expression of the culture and the multiethnic pluricultural nature of our country. Mr. Chairman, the promotion of these languages is an express mandate contained in our constitutions. In 2021, Venezuela started a comprehensive review of the law on indigenous languages in order to revitalize, protect these languages, and transmit them to future generations. Also, the country is promoting community spaces where the elderly transmit their languages to children through oral narration, dialogue, and songs. In this way, not only the languages are preserved, but also traditional knowledge, values, and traditions of each people. Nevertheless, we have to say the UCMs create obstacles for states to implement and protect the economic, social, and cultural rights of indigenous peoples. And the necessary resources to implement public policies. These measures also compromise the promotion of indigenous languages and traditional knowledge. Venezuela will continue to work together with indigenous peoples to revitalize and preserve their languages, convinced that to preserve a language is to preserve the memory and identity of peoples. We also demand the immediate lifting of UCMs that create obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights and to implement the objectives of this decade. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Venezuela. Now I would like to call on Organización Maya Wayob Cambio. in the hall? Organización Maya Wayob Cambio. Okay. All right then. I would like to call on Ontario Native Women's Association to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I'll begin in my language and then continue in English. Waasi kwee minijisagabo, Nidishnakaz. Maang nido dum, kiash saging, Anishinaabek. Nidonjiba. Our languages are our laws, our teachings, our relationship with the land, and our identity. Our languages are fundamental to our self-determination, our sovereignty, and our livelihood. For Indigenous women and girls, language is rooted in who we are. It carries the teachings of our elders, our responsibilities to future generations, and our role in our communities. Colonial policies have deliberately sought to erase our languages, particularly by forced removal of our children from homes and communities. While we recognize that Canada launched a national action plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages in June 2024, we are deeply concerned about the lack of action and funding. Including the vast disproportionate funding allocated to the official colonial languages, English and French, compared to the Indigenous languages. We recommend, EMRIP, to include in your report to the Human Rights Council the need to first urge the states to adequately finance measures to implement the Global Action Plan and domestic action plans on Indigenous languages. This includes adequately funding Indigenous women's organizations to maintain and provide access to traditional languages, cultures, Indigenous knowledge, and land-based knowledge and healing. Second, ensure Indigenous women's full, effective, and meaningful, meaningful participation as well as leadership at all levels of decision-making. And third, implement the expert mechanisms' previous proposals to advance the Global Action Plan on Indigenous Language and to include an Indigenous gender-based lens that adequately includes Indigenous women. Chi-miigwech, many thanks.

Thank you very much. Now we will go to the last 2 speakers for this afternoon for this topic. So I call on Eunice Sekumpola-Council to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair. I speak on behalf of the Inuit Circumpolar Council as we mark the midpoint of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages approaching in 2027. Sorry, I just ran. For us in Kalaallituq Nuut, Greenland, our language, Kalaallisuut Greenlandic, is not only a way to communicate. It's tied to our culture, our identity, and our way of life. Kalaallisuut belongs to the wider Inuit language family. Stretching from Alaska through Canada to Greenland. Our task is not only to preserve this language but to keep it alive and active in education, administration, media, technology, and public services. Technology— sorry, strengthening language is not only about teaching and international recognition. We also need concrete language infrastructure, dictionaries, research, documentation of dialects, language technology funding, and clearer responsibility of the language field. Language technology can support this work. The language secretariat in Greenland has been given responsibility for a project on AI-based legal aid, including translation, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech. This shows AI can be useful for Kalaallisuut. But we must remember that AI should be used critically and carefully. One weakness of AI and machine translation is that it does not always understand the cultural context behind our languages. It also does not always know which words or expressions are correct or suitable in a given situation. It can therefore be risky to use AI without critical checking, especially in public services. I reiterate, strengthening Indigenous peoples' languages requires real infrastructure, dictionaries research, dialect documentation, technology, and clear responsibility. We urge states and UNESCO to act accordingly. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Now, as the last speaker for this item, I would like to call on the University of Colorado American Indian Law Program. Please take the floor. Are they not in the room? All right then, may I call on the Sami Parliament in Norway?

Chair, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages is a global call for action proclaimed by the UN to address the critical loss of Indigenous Peoples' languages and to mobilize stakeholders to revitalize and uplift Indigenous Peoples' languages. The decade is an opportunity to ensure that our languages are preserved, revitalized, and passed on to future generations in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution on Rights of Indigenous Peoples proclaiming the period of 2022 to 2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, based on the recommendation by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, we must understand the decade in the context of the adoption of the resolution, a resolution named the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, I must address a concerning trend that the term indigenous languages has been interpreted to include more than only indigenous peoples' languages. The use of the term in ways that do not align with the UNDRIP contributes to violation of indigenous peoples' human rights and creates serious challenges for our ability to represent ourselves. This is a serious concern which has been addressed by the Permanent Forum MRIP and the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples' Rights in the outcome document of February 26th-28th, 2024. We urge MRIP to advise relevant UN entities to uphold the same clarity. The need to protect the status of Indigenous Peoples is not about weakening the interests of other groups, but about safeguarding the distinct history and rights of Indigenous Peoples. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and that concludes the number of speakers list for this agenda item. Now I would like to invite the representative of International Decade of Indigenous Languages Secretariat UNESCO to take the floor and deliver your statement. You have 5 minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excellencies, dear participants, ladies and gentlemen. As this session dedicated to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages comes to a close, I am pleased to take the floor on behalf of Mr. Guillermo Canela, Director of the Division for Digital Inclusion and Head of the Secretariat of the International Decade, whom many of you met in last year's session. Due to a conflicted agenda, he regrettably cannot join us for this session and kindly asked me to convey this message on his behalf. I would like to thank the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for providing this important space for dialogue, and all of you for sharing your perspectives and recommendations with us today. Over the past 4 years, we have had the privilege to work alongside Indigenous Peoples, Member States, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and countless other partners dedicated to safeguarding, revitalizing, and promoting Indigenous languages. This journey has been and continues to be one of continuous learning. As mentioned by the representative of the Global Task Force, Mr. Anabel Benjamin Barra, we are approaching the midpoint of the decade, coinciding next year with the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This will be an important moment to take stock of progress and consider the work that remains ahead. We are grateful for the perspectives shared today, which will help us guide this reflection. We take this opportunity to call for member states and partners to strengthen their financial support to the decade. Without sustained resources, match to the scale of our ambitions, many initiatives led by Indigenous Peoples risk remaining underfunded and unable to reach their full potential. Since the launch of the decade, we have seen growing awareness, stronger partnerships, and inspiring initiatives led by Indigenous Peoples and communities across the world, many of which we have heard about today. At the same time, we are very conscious that many challenges remain. In too many places, Indigenous languages continue to face significant pressures, and commitments have not always translated into concrete action or adequate support. The discussions we have heard today reaffirm several priorities that UNESCO, as the Secretariat of the Decade, remains committed to advancing alongside our partners. We will continue promoting holistic approaches that recognize that languages cannot be separated from culture, knowledge systems, territories, and ways of life. We will continue supporting Member States in the development and implementation of National Action Plans in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, because sustainable progress requires both political commitment and community leadership. We will continue to promote more robust international collaboration and to push for more sustained funding. We will continue to place women and young people at the center of the decade, and we will continue, of course, working to ensure that the impact of this decade extends well beyond 2032. As it was mentioned by Mr. Barra, as well as many of you today, indigenous languages are being challenged by the rapid advance of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, which brings both promise and risk. UNESCO is actively engaged on this front, working to promote Indigenous-led data governance grounded in the rights affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, including self-determination, free, prior, and informed consent, and full participation in decision-making. Indigenous Peoples must be partners from the outset in decisions about how the languages, knowledge, and data are used and protected in digital systems. Before handing the floor back to you, to you, Mr. Chair, I warmly invite you to stay engaged beyond today's session through UNESCO's dedicated website and social media channels for the decade, or by writing to our Secretariat. And if you are here with us today, please do come speak with me afterward, and I'd be glad to listen and bring your perspectives back to Paris. Thank you once again to all of you for your engagement and for the work that each of you is doing to ensure that indigenous languages continue to live, to grow, and thrive. I thank you.

Thank you very much, UNESCO. Thank you, Mr. President, on your statement regarding the very important work that you are doing. Now, I would like to give the floor to Mr. Barra, representative of the Global Task Force, for his closing remarks, and you have 3 minutes.

Thank you, Chair. Esteemed members of EMRIP, distinguished delegates, and my dear brothers and sisters. I agree that Indigenous peoples' languages cannot be preserved only on documents. Indigenous people languages need conducive environment for its protection, promotion, and preservation. And for this, we need resources. Lack of resources could lead to protection crisis. As we conclude this discussion on the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who shared their experiences, concerns, priorities, and recommendations today. The intervention we have heard reaffirm a message that lies at the heart of the Decade of Indigenous Languages and are inseparable from Indigenous peoples' identities, knowledge, systems, cultures, and rights. I assure you that the reflection shared during this session will not remain within these walls. I will bring them back to the Global Task Force of the Decade so that they can inform our discussions, guide our priorities, and support follow-up action in the years ahead. As we approach both the midpoint of the decade and the 20th anniversary of the UNDRIP, we have an opportunity to renew our commitment and accelerate our efforts. Above all, we must ensure that Indigenous Peoples continue to lead the decade. Indigenous Peoples are not only beneficiaries of this work, they are its authors, leaders, and driving force. The future of Indigenous languages must be shaped by the peoples and communities who speak, sign, teach, and transmit them. Therefore, as the member of the Global Task Force for IDIL, I would like to propose to have the Convention of Indigenous Peoples' Languages, and for this we need your support and cooperation, my dear brothers and sisters. I would like to call all member states United Nations agencies, and private sector partners to strengthen their financial commitment to the decade. The ambitions we have set out can only be realized with sustained support and resources. We therefore invite all the stakeholders to contribute so that our shared commitments lead to lasting outcomes for Indigenous languages and the communities who speak or sign them. Johar, thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Barra. We are almost out of time, but I would like to check with my fellow members if you have any quick comments. Yes, Cheryl, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As time did not permit members to comment at the close of our last discussion, I will, with your indulgence, offer a couple of combined reflections on the 20 years and languages. I do think they're connected. We heard concrete progress across multiple regions: Mexico, Finland, Burundi, Aotearoa, New Zealand, many, many more. And the floors reminded us that where languages are recovering, it's because Indigenous peoples themselves are doing that work. And we also heard something less tangible, but I think is equally important, and that is that the Declaration has become the shared reference point, the common language through which Indigenous peoples, states, and UN bodies now conduct this dialogue. That was simply not true 20 years ago. And it's a significant achievement that belongs above all to the Indigenous negotiators and elders who brought this instrument into being and whose original purpose, as Chief Littlechild reminded us in the previous session, we must never forget. At the same time, this morning's discussion and this afternoon's discussion were very clear-eyed. What will stay with me is that 20 years of endorsement does not mean 20 years of implementation, and the same holds for languages. We are at the midpoint of the International Decade, and the pace of language loss still outruns the pace of institutional response. Revitalization too often depends on the unpaid labor of people in communities rather than sustained and adequate public financing. Across the broader implementation picture, we heard a consistent pattern. Free prior and informed consent reduced in practice to consultation or exercised in processes where outcomes are already determined. We heard about non-recognition of peoples operating as a threshold that forecloses every other right that follows, and a development we must name plainly and clearly: the criminalization of Indigenous leaders and defenders. The increasing level of violence against Indigenous women, despite numerous inquiries and legislation, and the serious pressures of conflict and climate change are falling first and hardest on Indigenous peoples in all regions. Looking towards 2027 and the decade beyond, I take away 3 directions. First, the anniversary must be an accountability moment, not a ceremonial one. And proposals we've heard for national action plans and a plan of action on implementation all deserve serious consideration. The proposal to begin work on a UN Convention on Indigenous Languages speaks to exactly this, moving language rights from aspiration to obligation, with the second half of the decade as our runway. Second, implementation advances where Indigenous peoples hold institutional standing, parliaments, treaty bodies, iwi structures, and building that participation architecture, including here at the United Nations, should be a priority. And third, the next 20 years will raise questions the first 20 could not have even imagined. Data sovereignty, Indigenous-led research, cross-border mobility issues, the impacts of war, and of course, ever-present climate change. We have much, much collective work ahead of us. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Cheryl. It's time to now close the session. I just only would like to say that if we truly recognize the importance of the this topic, then I think we will also understand what an Indigenous elder said in this session on the first day, something like, if I give you my words, I'm giving you my soul, because language expresses the very essence of being a human. So if we lose our language, we lose our identity. I hope I hope that you have enjoyed this session as much as I did. So thank you very much. Thank you.

Good afternoon. We will now proceed with item 11, future work of the expert mechanism. And on behalf of EMRIP, Indigenous peoples representatives, member states, NGOs, and others, I welcome you all to Item 11. It's my pleasure to chair this session on the future work of expert— of the expert mechanism, where we will hope to hear your suggestions for future thematic studies and reports. Before opening the floor, I am pleased to share with you an overview of our work going forward and welcome your contributions. In accordance with our standard practice and pursuant to our mandate under Human Rights Council Resolution 33/25, we as EMRIP determine the theme of our studies and report one year in advance to allow sufficient time for preparation. Consequently, during our intersessional meeting held last year, we decided that our thematic study for 2027 will be on business and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, with a view toward examining business practices and evolving human rights challenges. This topic was chosen based on the expressed requests by Indigenous Peoples during recent year sessions. Later in the year, we intend to conduct a seminar in collaboration with an academic institution and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the purpose of gathering insights that will inform our study. Additionally, This is extremely important. We'll open a call for inputs to gather further contributions and up-to-date information from all stakeholders. We highly value your active participation, and it is absolutely essential to enrich the study, both with information and Indigenous peoples' perspectives and lived experiences. The Expert Mechanism will also prepare a report next year for the Human Rights Council on good practices and lessons learned regarding the efforts to achieve the ends of the Declaration, as authorized under Council Resolution 33/25, paragraph 2. This report will be a stocktaking report on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. EMRIP looks forward to your feedback on our next study, and we welcome your suggestions now for our subsequent study for 20— for beyond 2027 and future work, including potential study themes for coming years and intersessional activities. I will now open the floor for the speakers list. I would first like to offer the floor to the Continental Alliance of Traditional and Indigenous Midwives of the Americas.

We are the Continental Alliance of part of the traditions in the Americas made up of women who are midwives. Given the continuity of life and ancestral knowledge in our land, we would like to say that the indigenous midwifery isn't part of the Western one. It is a comprehensive healthcare of Indigenous Peoples. It is a living expression of the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination as regards our relationship with our cultures, land, and languages, and the continuity of our peoples. Despite our fundamental role, midwifery— Indigenous midwifery continues to be invisible in international human rights processes and world health. Indigenous midwives continue to face systemic discrimination because our systems, our knowledge systems are excluded. The practices, knowledge, and traditional practices are not recognized. When it comes to the future work of the expert mechanism, we would like to say that AMRIP has not yet conducted a specific study on Indigenous midwifery. Which has left a significant gap in its work. That is why we would recommend EMRIP in its future program to include a global study on midwifery and Indigenous women, looking at this as a differentiated Indigenous health system which is comprehensive and as an exercise of the rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples. Including the rights to self-determination, health, culture, and traditional knowledge. We also recommend that the study be carried out in direct collaboration with Indigenous midwives, including my own alliance. This study would make it possible to overcome gaps. Time has elapsed.

I'd next like to offer the floor to Indigenous World Association.

Yesterday we intervened under Item 5 to highlight the serious threats of plastic pollution to Indigenous peoples worldwide. As identified by the former Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, different stages of the plastic life cycle are violating our rights under UNDRIP, including, quote, serious violations of Indigenous Peoples' rights to health, culture, water, food, healthy environment, self-determination, among others, end quote. While we bear witness to the harmful shifts in multilateralism and movements away from good faith negotiations and UN mechanisms, Indigenous Peoples are also being left out of important meetings and decisions. However, We still persevere in these international spaces because the decisions made here affect our rights and our very survival. We urge EMRIP to consider for your future work a study and panel examining the rights implications of plastic pollution for Indigenous peoples across the plastic lifecycle, from extraction to waste, and call for the full application of UNDRIP and FPIC in the finalization and implementation of the Future Plastics Treaty. The situation is urgent. Indigenous peoples in our territories are being treated as sacrifice zones. From oil spills in our lands and waters to microplastics in our traditional foods and our babies, we are on the front lines of the plastic pollution crisis. But we are not passive victims. We are experts, knowledge holders, and rights holders, and we must be equal participants in all decision-making about this global problem. EMRIP and other UN mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples can play a vital role in supporting this work to safeguard our rights, ensure our meaningful participation, and influence stronger outcomes. I thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much for that statement. And next is a joint statement from Inuit Circumpolar Council Council, Sami Council, Sami Parliament of Norway, Sami Parliament of Finland.

Thank you, Chair. I deliver this joint intervention on behalf of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sami Council, and the Sami Parliaments in Norway and Finland. As we look ahead to the future work of the Expert Mechanism, we would like to raise one concrete proposal. The Expert Mechanism study on the right of Indigenous Peoples to data was an important piece of work. It affirmed that data sovereignty is a natural extension of the right to self-determination. But the landscape is changing fast. AI systems now depend on large-scale data collection. Much of it is drawn from open sources, often without our knowledge or consent. This raises questions and challenges the previous study could not have seen coming. Furthermore, the massive infrastructure of data centers and the mining of critical minerals required for AI hardware put immense pressure on Arctic lands and Indigenous peoples' territory globally. We therefore propose the expert mechanism consider undertaking a new formal study on artificial intelligence and the rights of Indigenous peoples, building upon your previous work on data sovereignty. Such a study would examine how our data is collected, used, and governed across the AI lifecycle. Cycle. The systemic risk of algorithmic bias and misrepresentation of AI-generated outputs. The physical and environmental impacts of AI-related resource extraction and energy infrastructure on Indigenous peoples' territories. It could offer guidance grounded in free, prior, and informed consent. And how best— how to best support Indigenous peoples-led institutions and expert building expertise in this space. We believe the expert mechanism is well-placed to build on its own foundation and to help ensure that technological development in this age of AI becomes a tool for empowerment, not further marginalization. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the joint statement. I'd next like to offer the I now give the floor to Guatemala.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Guatemala restates its commitment to the recognition, respect, and guarantee of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and this fully in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Aware of the ongoing challenges, the country has fostered and made significant headway in strengthening legal pluralism. An example of this is the policy from the judicial body on access to justice for Indigenous Peoples, which promotes harmonious coordination between the national legal system and Indigenous legal systems. Similarly, protocols and policies have been implemented which are culturally and linguistically relevant in justice institutions such as the Institute for Criminal Public Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking to guarantee effective and differentiated access to justice. Furthermore, bodies have been bolstered such as the Ombudspersons for Indigenous Women and the Presidential Commission Against Discrimination and Racism. They have been given greater competencies to prevent and report acts of discrimination and racism. However, there are challenges that still remain for greater coverage of public institutions, which consolidate effective coordination mechanisms between indigenous authorities and state institutions, in particular when it comes to justice and community security. This process is vital to ensure the protection of the collective rights and strengthen trust in public institutions. Against that backdrop, Guatemala would like to make the following recommendation to the expert mechanism. We would suggest that an analysis of coordination models be carried out between the legal systems of Indigenous Peoples and state systems. It's important to identify good practices and common challenges. This comparative analysis could be a guide for states to continue to work on the recognition of Indigenous Peoples. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for that statement. I'd next like to offer the floor to Australia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Australia thanks EMRIP for its continued leadership in advancing the implementation of the UNDRIP. We recognize the mechanism's unique role in providing practical advice to member states and fostering constructive dialogue with Indigenous peoples. EMRIP's focus on actionable advice that assists states and Indigenous peoples to implement UNDRIP at the national level remains vital. EMRIP provides a platform for exchanging successful approaches, including legislative reforms, co-design processes, and consultation models, which supports learning across regions. In EMRIP's work going forward, Australia encourages greater attention to the specific challenges facing Indigenous peoples in our region of the Pacific, who are on the front line of climate impacts. The effects of climate change are real and immediate for Indigenous peoples. COP31 will be an opportunity to share Indigenous peoples' knowledge and opportunities for Indigenous peoples on the global stage. Australia is working with Türkiye to deliver COP31 and with Pacific Island countries to deliver pre-COP and elevate Pacific priorities. Fiji will host the pre-COP meeting with a special leaders event in Tuvalu in October. Our partnerships demonstrate our commitment to strengthening global action on climate change for all, including Indigenous peoples. Australia also encourages EMRIP to remain responsive to emerging and evolving issues, including the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and their impact on Indigenous languages, data governance, and sovereignty— sovereignty, rather— and cultural heritage. As the 20th anniversary of UNDRIP approaches, we encourage EMRIP to remain solutions-focused, bridging the gap between international standards and real improvements in the lives, rights, and well-being of Indigenous peoples. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for your statement, Australia. I'd next like to offer the floor to Ulithi Falalop Community Action Program. Not in the room. Thank you. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Native American Church.

Greetings, Chair and tribal nations. Thank you for calling on the Native American Church State of New Mexico. Our mission is to support the protection of American Indian religious ceremonial, spiritual, and traditional practices, and it's comprised of tribal citizens, including individuals of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation in the United States of America has over 405,000 citizens who primarily live in and around established reservations. The Navajo Nation and its citizens have revered relationships with its reservation land that the U.S. currently recognizes as the nation's land, as well as lands associated that are outside the boundaries of the reservation. Under Article 25 of of the Declaration, Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters, and coastal seas, and other resources, and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard. Indigenous peoples in the United States and across the globe bring forth issues and solutions to the expert mechanism. For the Navajo people and other indigenous peoples in the United States, implementation of articles of the Declaration is extremely important. At this time, however, we call for a focus on our self-determination with respect to lands that are traditionally owned or occupied otherwise. We ask IMRAP to devote a future study or report on the question of the implementation of the declaration in the context of 3 areas. One, protection of traditional plant knowledge and traditional ceremonial practices. Second, indigenous-led conservation efforts for the protection and preservation of the natural habitat of medicinal plants. And third, the need for consultation with a view to obtain FPIC. State actions that affect access to protection of traditional medicine plants, including derivatives and

Thank you very much for that statement. I'd next like to offer the floor to Botanical Society of South Africa. Thank you, Madam Chair. Botanical Society of South Africa. Okay. Next speaker, Leningrad Regional Public Organization, Vepsian Community.

Participate in the work of the mechanism in order to carry out an objective assessment and in order to have universal recommendations. Made by the UN, the priorities of indigenous peoples should be taken into account. I'd like to draw your attention to the collective study of indigenous peoples on implementing the Rio de Janeiro trends. The legal concept of indigenous peoples in Russia does not simply recognize indigenous peoples but ensures actual access to land and biological resources for traditional land use. Preserving the culture and identity of Indigenous Peoples. At the same time, what is also necessary is to improve legal mechanisms for the practical implementation of certain rights, especially in the area of fishing and hunting, especially in specially protected natural territories. This is why Indigenous Peoples have developed and presented their proposals into the National Strategy on Biodiversity. Our proposals have been taken into account and are part of this new national strategy. We do hope that these provisions will be preserved in the document when it will be adopted by the government. We invite EMRIP to carry out a study on the realization of the rights of Indigenous Peoples as part of environmental processes, paying special attention to the Convention on Biodiversity and other international environmental agreements. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the statement, and I'd next like to offer the floor to Russian Federation.

Thank you, distinguished Madam Chair, distinguished members of EMRIP. We would like to first and foremost remind you a key word used by the Special Rapporteur in his statement yesterday. As far as I remember, the word was stagnation. And as the Russian delegation believes, this word applies to the work of UN special institutions on the rights of indigenous peoples. We're still at a point of stagnation in terms of adopting the rules of procedure for Emirate in order to avoid a situation where, for example, this morning's meeting started without a quorum and continued in that form for 30 minutes. And it started when only 2 members of EMRIP participated in the meeting. So the question arises, with whom are we carrying out this dialogue? Another issue, why do we need these rules of procedures to regulate the participation of Indigenous Peoples? We have to avoid situations when the same people during the sessions speak on behalf of 5, 6 organizations. And the origin of these organizations or where they come from, we're not really aware of. Another point, we have to resume normal diplomatic exchanges. For example, for a month, the Russian Federation mission in Geneva has been waiting for a response from EMRIP, who is the author of the study on post-conflict situations related to indigenous peoples and how Can paragraphs 47 and paragraph 58 be placed in the report that include disinformation about the situation in Russia, for example referring to so-called Inuit territories in Russia? Such territories do not exist in Russia. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for your statement. I'd next like to offer the floor to Global Disability Caucus.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I speak on behalf of the National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal, Asia-Pacific Indigenous Women with Disabilities Network, and Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Network. We are 58 million indigenous persons with disabilities, and the data shows that the prevalence rate of being disabled is 2 to 3 times higher among indigenous peoples, and this number is alarmingly growing day by day. Under the mandates of the UN Permanent Forum in 2013 and under the mandates of the Special Rapporteur in 2025, only 2 studies have been conducted till to date, and there is a lot of emerging issues like disasters, climate crisis, isolation, mental trauma that is interconnected being disabled among our peoples. In Nepal and across Asia, 92% Indigenous women and girls with disabilities face harassment, assault, violence, abuse, and forced sterilization both in private and public sphere due to indigeneity, disability, and sexuality. And our lives' experience are distinct, and this is why our issues need to be put into the priority. So we recommend the EMRIP members to conduct a study on Indigenous persons and women with disability It is aligned with the CEDAW Convention, CEDAW General Recommendation 39. The enhanced participation must enhance Indigenous persons with disabilities and determine our own representative to speak for ourselves, not by others. We should be integral part of the discussion influencing the decisions that affect our life and participate safely without state interference. Indigenous persons with disabilities must be recognized not merely as beneficiaries, but as right holders and knowledge holders and equal partners in shaping an inclusive, equitable, sustainable future for peoples and planet. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Minority Rights Group.

Thank you, Chairperson, members of the expert mechanism, distinguished delegates, and Indigenous representatives. I deliver this message on behalf of a group of Indigenous midwives who are not able to be present in Geneva today. In its 2016 study on the right to health in Indigenous peoples, EMRIP recognized that Indigenous women face many barriers to the realization of their sexual and reproductive health and rights, linked to exclusion from reproductive health services and to disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality. For millennia, Indigenous midwives have safeguarded the health and well-being of Indigenous women, babies, families, and communities. Indigenous knowledge systems relating to pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, sexuality, and reproductive health are foundational to the cultural continuity, identity, and survival of Indigenous peoples. These knowledge systems are living expressions of self-determination and of responsibility possibilities to future generations. A recent decision of the International Confederation of Midwives to suspend a statement on Indigenous midwifery taken at its recent congress in Portugal is concerning. Such actions contribute to the ongoing erasure of Indigenous knowledge, expertise, and leadership within global maternal and reproductive health systems. We are equally concerned by the continued reluctance of some United Nations agencies and international institutions to explicitly recognize and support the role and contribution of Indigenous midwifery to the fulfillment of Indigenous women's sexual and reproductive rights. We therefore call upon AMRIP to follow up on its 2016 study and to intervene within the United States— United system to get WHO and other relevant agencies to formally recognize Indigenous midwifery as a protected knowledge system. We urge EMRIT to champion this issue and ensure that Indigenous midwives are recognized, protected, and empowered as custodians of knowledge. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement, and perfectly timed to the second. Thank you. I'd next like to offer the floor to International Institute for

Hi nui e te tiamana. Ko Juliet Tainui-Hernandez tōku ingoa. He uri o ngāi tahua hou. I'm speaking on behalf of the International Institute for Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Policy. Indigenous peoples have been stewards of our lands, waters, and territories since time immemorial. As the world responds to the interconnected challenges of of climate change, rapid technological advances, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, Indigenous peoples' knowledge, leadership, and governance are increasingly needed. Yet our collective rights and responsibilities are under growing pressure. Globally, we have observed uneven implementation of the Declaration, with regression rather than progress in many places. Indigenous participation constrained by systems designed by others, free, prior, and informed consent too often treated as procedural rather than substantive, insufficient recognition of the contribution of Indigenous knowledge systems and worldviews, enabling conditions including legislation, funding, and resources not equitably available to support Indigenous stewardship, recognition of Indigenous knowledge and rights that is narrow and excludes the right to development, and unjust transition processes undermining our authority to govern our affairs and care for our lands, waters, and territories. The rights affirmed in the Declaration are the foundation for resilient environmental governance and intergenerational stewardship. We therefore request that the expert mechanism undertake a study on Indigenous people's collective rights in the context of transition and increasing pressure on nature and governance systems. The study should examine both Indigenous-led models of best practice and the structural barriers to the full realisation of rights. It should also develop practical recommendations that strengthen collective rights, recognise Indigenous knowledge and governance systems, decision-making authority, and the right to development, and support direct and equitable access to resources as essential to achieving a truly just transition. Mauri ora.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, let's offer the floor to Images for Inclusion.

Gracias, Madam Chair. Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Garcia from Images for Inclusion. I would like to greet our brothers and sisters present in this room. Our organization would like to respectfully suggest to the subsidiary body that in order to implement the declaration, to carry out a specific study that is focused on 2 main challenges. First, in line with Articles 40 and 46 of UNDRIP, We request the consideration of practices that can present administrative firewalls that guarantee impartiality and prevent conflicts of interest in the ethical architecture of the United Nations. It is urgent to put an end to the turnstiles preventing, through obligatory vote of 3, 5 years, as authorities and state functionaries to participate then as independent experts, advisors, and investigators on the same questions as part of the system. Second, in line with Article 38, we request the consideration of specific situations that happen with states— for example, Chile— when they do not look at principles of self-determination and prior informed and free consent, Articles 3 and 19, in its national legislation. There's been an occupying proliferation of norms of a lesser force as resolutions that regulate the consultations with Indigenous Peoples. Finally, we urge EMRIP to coordinate efforts to guide future recommendations of a technical nature to take into account the conclusions made by the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights on the legal framework of Chile, especially Decree 66/2014. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, we have a joint statement from Indigene Global Confederation India, Adivasi Mahasabha Foundation.

Distinguished Chair, experts, Johar. India abstained from ratifying UNDRIP despite voting in favor, with no formal recognition mechanism for Adivasi peoples under international Indigenous rights frameworks. On future work and follow-up, we ask the mechanism to move from general studies towards sustained named monitoring of ongoing cases. Under India's PESA Act, the Gram Sabha or the village council consent is legally required before land in scheduled areas is diverted for mining or in industrial use. In, in Pelma, Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, the Gram Sabha has voted against a proposed coal mine 4 separate times. Each time the Coal Bearing Areas Act has been invoked to override that consent. In Sijimalli, Odisha, a bauxite mining project linked to the Vedanta Group is proceeding despite documented community opposition and unresolved consent disputes. These are not isolated disputes. This is the pattern by which free, prior, and informed consent is violated as it produces an inconvenient result for capital. Environmental destruction is inseparable from the destruction of Adivasi ecology and of Adivasi sovereignty, and the land grabbing in Odisha and Chhattisgarh follows this pattern repeatedly and not as an exception. We ask the mechanism to establish an independent follow-up monitoring on the Pelma and Sijimale cases And to request a formal public response from India on how Gram Sabha vetoes will be honored going forward. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much for that statement. And next, like to call on Assembly de Armeniens d'Arménie Occidentale. Merci, Madame la.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, for giving me. Work in line with the right to self-determination. And despite the resistance that we have seen in this meeting, we have already talked about the Turkish plan and then Turkiazeri plan that after the 1894 genocide of Armenians until the ethnic cleansing of 2023, when 150,000 indigenous Armenians of Tarsan that led to 5,000 deaths have no limits in terms of violence that is banned by Geneva Conventions and international treaties signed by the countries. This violence was condemned by the European Court on Human Rights that has seen the so-called Azeri army run across the forest of Artsakh to pursue 2 small boys and that they eventually killed. The violation of the conventions by Turkey and Azerbaijan undermines UN mechanisms and their work. I'd like to recall Azerbaijan abstained during the vote on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons. It is high time for the future to create a new body at the legal level through the— in the form of international tribunal for the protection of the rights of Indigenous persons. And we would like to put this question on the agenda for the future work of the mechanism. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next will be Foundation Girimbabazi.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My name is Miss Mberte, and I take this floor on behalf of the Burundian Gwazi Foundation that is involved in the protection of the rights of indigenous persons. I'd like to thank the expert mechanism for the quality of the studies, for technical assistance that is a very important tool for the implementation of the Universal— for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons. We nevertheless note the big gap that exists between the recommendations that are made at the international level and the implementation recommendations at the national level. This is the situation in Burundi, where these recommendations remain only in theory. I would like to ask the mechanisms to ensure that these recommendations are indeed implemented, and we propose the establishment of a voluntary mechanism for follow-up to monitor the measures that are taken in close cooperation with representatives of indigenous peoples, national human rights institutions, and UN teams that are present in countries. We also encourage the mechanism to further carry out technical assistance missions in order to provide assistance to countries in elaboration of national action plans for implementation of declarations in order to ensure that the objectives are implemented and resources are provided for effective work. The future work of the mechanism should also give special attention to the protection of the land tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensure inclusive education and ensure the empowerment of women and Indigenous girls, and also to provide additional operating opportunities and work on risks related to new technologies and artificial intelligence. For us in Burundi, the implementation of the recommendations can guarantee the sustainable access to land justice. Apologies, time has elapsed.

I'd next like to offer the floor to structural analysis of cultural systems.

Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism, while the crucial intersection of Indigenous rights and extractive industries has historically received limited dedicated focus, the rapidly changing global landscape requires our collective collective attention. Today, the modern global economy imposes structural pressures so profound that they penetrate the very fabric of local communities. As documented recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the overwhelming presence of external mining models has created a highly complex situation. Facing severe economic pressures, some local communities have been drawn into adopting these very same unsustainable extraction methods to survive, supplying global markets and inadvertently impacting their own ecosystems heavily. This tragic shift in collective agency does not diminish indigenous values per se. Rather, it underscores the systemic nature of the challenge where external economic realities heavily constrain local autonomy and test traditional resilience. Therefore, we respectfully suggest that EMRIP undertake a thematic study on the impacts of transition mineral on Indigenous autonomy and self-determination. Such a, such a study would support the Human Rights Council, member states, and Indigenous peoples in advancing the implementation of UNDRIP. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for that statement. Next is a joint statement from the Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance, the National Indian Health Board, Azul Network.

Akal Ehajab. Tenakwe, Madam Chair. We thank you for the discussion on EMRIP's future work and for the opportunity to identify areas where the mechanism can continue to strengthen the implementation of UNDRIP. Throughout this session, we have heard the importance of strengthening implementation cooperation across United Nations mechanisms, and practical guidance for member states. We respectfully suggest that these present an opportunity for a complementary future thematic report by EMRIP. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has progressively developed the Indigenous Determinants of Health framework, demonstrating how policy coherence across institutions directly affects the realization of our Indigenous rights. Building on this framework and drawing on its human rights mandate, EMRIP could consider a future thematic report examining how policy coherence can advance this. This study could examine issues— examine how issues such as self-determination, FPIC, meaningful and enhanced participation, institutional accountability, governance and financing collectively influence the realisation of our rights. With a goal to identify ongoing recommendations for member states. The framework is grounded in UNDRIP and informed by international standards and instruments, enabling EMRIP to build on an established body of Indigenous-led work while fully respecting the distinct mandates of both organ— both mechanisms. A complementary report would not duplicate the work of UNPFI, but would extend it through EMRIP's unique mandate. providing practical human rights guidance while demonstrating how complementary work by both bodies can strengthen policy coherence across the whole United Nations system. Modi ora.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I'd like to give the floor to Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Iskender Barif. I represent the the indigenous Crimean Tatar people and their representative body. For EMRIP's future work, I recommend to examine the impact of interstate conflict on the development of indigenous peoples, conduct a study on the implementation of the declaration in the national laws of various countries, conduct a global study on indigenous participation in peacebuilding. Conduct research into the use of land by indigenous peoples in the context of interstate military conflict in occupied territories in the disposition of their territory. Conduct research on the right to self-determination of indigenous people in the context of interstate conflict in occupied territory. Employ the possibility of EMRIP providing expert assistance to indigenous peoples in organizing human rights activities. An important function of the EMRIP should be expert assessment of national legislation on indigenous peoples issues. Explore the mechanism that strengthen their self-government, democratic governance, and representative capacity of indigenous peoples in accordance with their own tradition and institution. Conduct a study on overcoming the consequences of genocide and other international crimes against indigenous peoples committed in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the issues of state deliberate evasion of compensation and restitution. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I'd like to call on Indigenous Peoples Forum Nepal.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The ASEAN Indigenous Caucus acknowledges the importance of EMRIP work, studies, and mandates. We also appreciate the recent studies on the rights of Indigenous peoples in conflict and post-conflict situation, which has provided an opportunity on how states participating in and understanding this study is critically important for several structures, legal and security reasons. Asia is home to 2/3 of the world's Indigenous peoples, about 350 million Indigenous peoples. Still, we remain challenged. The states that still continue to reject our inherent rights to the oppression of our self-determination. The access— the excessive development and use of artificial intelligence, alarming that governments, academics, and business enterprises are creating datasets from our indigenous knowledge and languages and making them accessible for artificial intelligence use. Therefore, we call upon to the expert members revisit our last year recommendation to conduct dialogues and studies with the Indigenous peoples and member states in Asia to achieve recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples as the principle of UNDRIP and to argue member states to comply with the UNDRIP and act in accordance with international laws. To conduct comprehensive study assessing the cumulative impacts of green energy extraction and mass plantation expansion on indigenous lands, specifically evaluating the distinct health and socioeconomic vulnerability of the indigenous women and persons with disabilities. To prepare the thematic report followed by the dedicated panel. Sorry to interrupt. Your time has elapsed, unfortunately.

I'd next like to give the floor to National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am Sadie from the Wiradjuri Nation of Australia, and I represent the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium. I recognise and pay respect to Elders and ancestors from all Indigenous peoples here today. Indigenous knowledges, our oral traditions and cultural practices embody the deep time and lifeways of us as Indigenous peoples and the customs, belief and wisdom of our Elders. Our orality, our oral traditions have maintained our connections to ancestors and cultural lore. Present-day knowledge systems are interwoven with ways of being that have been handed down to us intergenerationally since time immemorial. However, since the first visitor to our lands picked up a pen, our knowledges have been taken from our peoples through unethical research and knowledge extractive practices. We acknowledge the good work of EMRIP on data sovereignty and the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and associated traditional knowledge, and we join the call from the National Council of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund seeking EMRIP to urge nation states to commit to the treaty. We also seek EMRIP to continue to prioritize the work on the protection of Indigenous peoples' knowledges through collaboration with other United Nations Indigenous mechanisms and through robust focus and study on the extraction and needed national protection of all forms of Indigenous peoples' knowledges. Our knowledges are not only tangible but intangible. Our ways of being, our shared orality, have been gifted to us by our creators and are not for others to claim, record, or misappropriate. Articles 11, 12, 13, 31 confirm our rights to protect our knowledges and share in a way that we define. This must be upheld. Nothing about us without us. I offer my yindimara, my deepest honour and respect to all. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that statement. I'd next like to offer the floor to Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw.

My name is Christina Cataliv, and I am a fellow of the OHCR Fellowship Program. As the mechanism continues its work for the promotion and implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons, it is crucial that the priorities respond to the priorities and challenges that our communities face. One of these challenges, it is the energy transition. The development of renewable energies is crucial to combat climate change and to implement the rights of Indigenous persons— peoples in our territories, we are facing serious situations related to development, and this leads to also undermining the movement of migratory birds. We have to use our knowledge and our identity in the future work. The expert mechanism can play a determining role in preparing practical guidelines related to implementation of prior informed and free consent under Article 32 of the Convention. And it also can develop best practices related to energy transition, the protection of biodiversity, and respect of the rights of Indigenous persons. We encourage the mechanism to continue its work by placing territorial rights and Indigenous governance and free prior and informed consent at the heart of their— at the heart of the studies. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti.

Honorable Chair, thank you for the floor. 29 years ago, Bangladesh and the Juma people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts signed a peace It promised demilitarization, self-governance, land returned. 29 years later, they are still waiting. This year, the waiting got worse. Instead of withdrawing troops, the government approved 34 new Border Guard Bangladesh outposts. Over 400 temporary camps still stand, some for 2 decades. The region is run not by its own hill councils, but by a military order called Operation Uthron, upliftment, for a policy that has delivered only occupation. Land grabs, attacks, forced conversions, violence against women and girls follow wherever implementation stalls. This mechanism does not need another description of what is wrong. It needs to act on what it already knows. First, the call for an international mechanism to resolve treaty and accord disputes. With the registry to protect them dates to 1999, reaffirmed by MRIP in 2022. Whatever form it takes, it has not been delivered effectively to communities like the Juma. I'm not asking for a new framework. I'm asking the mechanism to make the one it owes visible, starting with the CHT Accord. Now, second, Bangladesh is now at the midpoint of its universal periodic review cycle. And has the opportunity to submit a midterm report. I ask this council, MREP Council, to press Bangladesh to use it to account for CHT Accord implementation, camp withdrawal, the Land Commission, and the Regional and Hill District Council. Next year marks 30 years. 30 years is not a delay, it is a choice. The Juma people did not sign an accord to be managed. They signed it to be free. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I'd like to call on Royal State Tahiti and its Islands.

Madam Chair, I'd like to thank you for giving me the floor. I speak on behalf of the Royal State of Tahiti and the Islands. We praise the work of the expert mechanism and the studies and opinions The activities of the mechanism have strengthened the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Now, if we look at future work and the follow-up of previous recommendations, we'd like to make a relevant contribution. Over the years, the mechanism has represented a center for very important studies and recommendations. We believe a new stage could focus on having an approach that is focused on specific experiences To better understand how recommendations are implemented and how they impact the lives of Indigenous persons, we invite the mechanism to consider in its work program for 27-28 a study that is related to the living cases of Indigenous governance, the relevant experience, how Indigenous peoples do effectively work through their institutions and carry out their responsibilities. This can enrich any form of follow-up to recommendations and guide future work. In this spirit, we have submitted some examples of what we have done. For example, one example is the experience and the methodological contribution to such thinking. We believe that our experience can help future work. As we move towards the 20th anniversary of Declaration 27, we do hope that our approach can bring international norms closer to the realities faced by Indigenous Peoples. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the statement. Next, I'd like to call Friends of Lake Turkana.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I bring the voices of Indigenous People from Lake Turkana Basin. As the Mechanism reviews its future work, I respectfully request the Mechanism to give stronger and more practical attention to how energy-related development processes in Kenya are affecting indigenous peoples' livelihoods, lands, waters, resources, and rights to self-determination. In the Lake Turkana Basin, indigenous peoples and marginalized communities are facing changing lake conditions, prolonged droughts, loss of farmlands, water stress, water and health securities, and weakening traditional livelihood systems. These pressures are made worse by development processes, including upstream water infrastructure, the big dam— the Gibe Dams and irrigation schemes in Ethiopia, which affects the natural flow of River Omo. Large-scale wind projects, that is, Electrukana Wind Power Project and the upcoming Marsabit Wind Power Project, oil exploration activities in the Lokichar Oil Basin, and other renewable energy investments in Kenya. And more extractive interests that are often planned without adequate recognition of indigenous peoples' rights, governance systems, and free, prior, and informed consent. We are not saying that development processes and renewable energies is the problem in itself. The problem is when the development is imposed on indigenous lands and waters without consent, without benefit sharing, without protection of livelihoods, and without accountability for harms caused. We therefore request the mechanisms to consider in its upcoming and future work a dedicated follow-up on climate action, renewable energy, extractives, and indigenous peoples' rights in Kenya. This should include practical guidance to states, agencies, investors, and development actors on how to prevent green energy and extractive projects from causing dispossession, conflict, environmental harm, and livelihood losses. We also request them to strengthen follow-up on free, prior, and informed consent, Indigenous-led environmental governance, protection of Indigenous— I'm so sorry to interrupt, but time has elapsed.

I'd next like to offer the floor to Wind Sports International.

Good afternoon to all delegations. Madam Chair, given the current liquidity crisis being experienced by the UN agencies, programs, and mechanisms, which is sidelining human rights generally and specifically Indigenous Peoples' human rights and treaty rights, as future work, we call for an in-depth study on the budgetary impact utilizing existing information and reports By and for the UN Expert Mechanism in collaboration with the UN Third Committee to determine the following: to identify and report the real cause or causes and the reasons for the liquidity crisis at the UN, the annual budgetary impact assessment on the 4 UN mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples, the current impact on the UN administration and Secretariat on the fulfillment of each of the individual mandates of our UN mechanisms. Identifying and reporting the direct human cost borne by Indigenous Peoples as a result of reductions to human, financial, and technical resources which are otherwise deemed essential for all the other UN programs, projects, and agencies. Given the results of this study, what is the projected future long-term budget estimate of the next decade as it relates to the fulfillment of the mandates specific to the rights of Indigenous Peoples? The net human, financial, and technical contributions, direct and indirect investments by Indigenous Peoples for the UN, are substantial. Therefore, the thematic We would like the focus of these calls to determine in good faith the human rights-based efficiencies for the improvement, implementation, and compliance of generally accepted financial standards. Given the urgency of the UN liquidity crisis, we suggest an early timeline for the study. In conclusion, Madam Chair, as this will be our only opportunity— I understand this is your last session during your term, and our delegations want to thank you for your outstanding service and dedication to Indigenous Peoples' causes globally as a member of the Expert Mechanism. Ai hai. Merci. Nakomik. Gracias. Pasivo. Many thanks. Ai hai.

Thank you very much for your statement, Chief Littlechild, and thank you for your words. I'm very, very touched. Thank you. Okay. Next, Confederación Indígena Tayrona.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm speaking on behalf of the International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on the World Heritage. This is a world platform of indigenous peoples linked to the UNESCO Convention. This statement follows up on the recommendations of the MEPI on that convention in its study related to cultural heritage and the right to participate in decision-making. Making. Last year, the UNESCO Committee adopted Decision 4711, which requested the UNESCO to work together with indigenous peoples to improve their participation in the Convention and to better reflect their heritage values when enlisting UNESCO cultural sites. This is in line with the outcome document of the International Work workshop of experts on cultural heritage and Indigenous Peoples, and this was held in Geneva in 2024 where the MEPI was represented. Our forum has collaborated with UNESCO on a roadmap to implement this decision, which will be considered at the 48th session of the committee next week in South Korea. We believe that this process is key for the MEPI and responds to various recommendations. We would ask the EMRIP to formally request to UNESCO and request its interest to take part in that decision 4711. Secondly, we welcome the MEPI proposal that the Human Rights Council hold a panel on the recognition of the rights and values of indigenous peoples in the UNESCO Convention, and we also welcome that this be held during the next session of the Council in September. Our forum is ready to support you in this panel, and we would like MEPI to request the OHCHR to be involved in its planning. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to call on Tu Mao Samoa.

Greetings, Chair, and distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism. My name is Maria Tavoilaki. I am an Indigenous Samoan and a 2026 United Nations Indigenous Fellow. I would like to encourage the Expert Mechanism to consider Indigenous peoples in cross-border contexts as part of its future program of work. Over the years, the Expert Mechanism has produced important studies that have strengthened implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples across many areas. However, the growing movement of Indigenous Peoples across international borders, including through regional labor mobility programs, remain largely absent from this work. A future study could examine how the rights of affirmed in Articles 2, 3, 17, and 21 of the Declaration are implemented when Indigenous peoples participate in cross-border labour mobility, and such a study could identify good practices, implementation challenges, and practical recommendations for both sending and receiving states. As labour mobility continues to expand across the Pacific and other regions, I respectfully encourage the expert mechanism to include this emerging issue in its future studies so that the implementation of the Declaration reflects the realities faced by Indigenous Peoples today. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Ngambri, Kambri, Wagalu Nation.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yuendumu Paul Girrawah House. My name is Paul Girrawah House. I'm a Ngambri, Kambri, Wagalu Wiradjuri man. The name of Australia's capital city, Canberra, comes from the Wagalu language of my people, the Ngambri, Kambri people, and I'm sure I don't need to remind this audience that Australia was one of the 4 CANZUS nations that initially voted against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the UN General Assembly in September 2007. While all 4 countries have since reversed their positions and endorsed the Declaration, Australia still— Australia has still not implemented the Declaration in Australian domestic law at the national level. As we all know, the Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous people. The Declaration reflects the needs and aspirations of Indigenous people, and it also addresses the concerns of the nation-states in Article 46. The Declaration expresses rights and in doing so explains how Indigenous people want nation-states and others to conduct themselves in relation to matters that affect Indigenous peoples' rights and interests. All of the articles in the Declaration are legally grounded entitlements that must be applied in full because it is the benchmark for the legal recognition of our rights and our autonomy over our own affairs. In 2023, the Australian Parliament Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs published a record on its inquiry into the application of UNDRIP in Australia. The report made 6 recommendations in implementation to UNDRIP. The committee recommended the Commonwealth Government establish a number of recommendations here. Australia's failure to implement the Declaration is a national disgrace within Australia and an international embarrassment. I therefore call on the expert mechanism to report Australia's failure to take necessary steps to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and the Human Rights Council urges a special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous people on his planned visit to Australia later this year to pay particular attention to this matter. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, calling NAMA Traditional Leaders Association.

Thank you, Chair. My name is Shanafi Sachs, and I'm a representative from the Nama Traditional Leaders Association. I thank the Chair and the expert mechanism for the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion. Across Southern Africa, indigenous people continue to experience the enduring consequences of colonialism, land dispossession, and the 1904 and the 1908 genocide committed against the Nama indigenous people. In this regard, the NAMA Traditional Leaders Association Youth Forum respectfully submits the following recommendations. First, we encourage the expert mechanism to strengthen follow-up to its previous studies and advice by developing more effective mechanisms to monitor implementation and to support member states in translating recommendations into practical action in partnership with indigenous people. Secondly, we want to request that the EMRIP undertakes a dedicated thematic study on the continuing impact of the 1904 and the 1908 genocide against the Nama people. Such a study should examine the long-term legal, social, economic, cultural, environmental, and intergenerational consequences of this genocide. Thirdly, we would like to respectfully encourage the Special Rapporteur during the future visit to examine the human rights implications of Namibia's green economy agenda, particularly large-scale renewable energy developments proposed on indigenous ancestral lands. In this regard, we draw attention to the large-scale renewable energy and green hydrogen development, which is proposed within the ancestral territories of the Nama people in southern Namibia, lands in which the Nama communities were dispossessed during the colonial period and the 1904 and the 1908 genocide. We respectfully request that the Special Rapporteur assess whether the rights of the affected Indigenous communities to free, prior, and informed consent, meaningful participation through representative institutions, and effective remedies are being fully respected. Finally, we want— we'd like to encourage the EMRIP and the Special Rapporteur to continue developing practical guidance on addressing historical injustices affecting Nama people, including land restitution, reparations justice. I'm so, so sorry. Your time has elapsed.

I'd next like to offer the floor to Indigenous Peoples' Rights International.

Madam Chairperson, Indigenous Peoples' Rights International, IPRI, welcomes EMREF's continued attention to the situation of Indigenous human rights defenders, including those who have faced reprisals for engaging with the United Nations, and to the growing impact of violence and criminalization against Indigenous Peoples. As part of our mandate, IPRI has documented widespread human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples and is currently developing a global database and research on violence and criminalization affecting Indigenous communities. One of the most consistent findings emerging from our work is the lack or inadequacy of protection mechanisms for Indigenous human rights defenders. In many countries, such mechanisms simply do not exist. Where they do exist, they often fail to reflect Indigenous realities. Protection measures are generally designed for individuals rather than communities and frequently overlook the collective nature of Indigenous rights, territories, and governance systems. At the time— at the same time, Indigenous Peoples have developed their own collective protection strategies, including Indigenous guards, community-based monitoring, and traditional governance systems. These initiatives deserve greater recognition and support together with states' compliance with their obligations to protect human rights defenders. EPRI therefore respectfully requests EMRIP to develop expert advice on protection mechanisms for Indigenous human rights defenders, assessing existing Indigenous national, regional, and international approaches, identifying good and gaps, and providing practical recommendations to strengthen culturally appropriate and collective protection. We also encourage EMRIP to convene an international expert workshop where Indigenous defenders can share their experiences, as well as States, national human rights institutions, and international human rights mechanisms. IPRI stands ready to support this process and to contribute to the preparation of a future report and expert advice. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the statement. Next, I'd like to call NAMAKHON Network of Heritage Advocacy.

Thank you, Chair. My name is Nicodemus Cooper. As EMRIP considers the future program of work, we respectfully encourage the expert mechanism to undertake a study on the long-term impacts of colonialism, genocide, and historical injustices on Indigenous people. Particularly those whose communities today live across international borders. I speak on behalf of the Nama people of Botswana, descendants of those who fled the genocide committed against the Nama in German Southwest Africa. Forced displacement did not end our suffering. It separated families, fractured communities, accelerated language loss, weakened our cultural institutions, and left generations disconnected from their ancestors. ancestral lands while unresolved trauma carries on. On the 16th of March, 1908, our people had fled into what is now Botswana. More than 50 Nama-Kwene led by legendary Kaap Simon Kopa were reportedly killed in what is today Kalahari Transfrontier Park. More than a century later, their human remains have never been recovered or given a dignified burial. Thank you. For our community, this is not only a historical fact, it remains an open wound. We are encouraged that Botswana government has embraced a stronger human rights approach. We respectfully hope this creates a space for open dialogue on these difficult chapters for our shared history and meaningful engagement. We are equally concerned that the Namibian German reparation process is approaching the conclusion without meaningful participation of Nama communities living in the diaspora, including those in Botswana, despite being descendants of the displaced by genocide. As human— UN human rights experts have previously emphasized, meaningful participation of affected communities is indispensable to truth, reconciliation, and effective reparations. We therefore respectfully recommend EMRIP to develop a dedicated study on the continuing impacts of historical injustices, forced displacement, and genocide on Indigenous people, including transboundary communities, and provided practical guidance to states on truth-seeking, memorialization, restorative justice, dignified treatment of ancestral remains, and the full participation of affected communities in reparations process. I'm so sorry, time has elapsed, unfortunately.

Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Comunidad Campesina Indígena de Owayomaka. Comunidad Campesina Indígena. How about African Indigenous Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development?

Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to contribute to this agenda item. As we consider the future work of the expert mechanism and as we make preparation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of UNDRIP, The state of implementation of UNDRIP by states remains critical and indeed worrisome. Without implementation, the UNDRIP will make no difference in the lives of ordinary indigenous people on the streets. It is in recognition of the above that we propose that: EMRIP should, as part of its future work, consider carrying out a report or study on the national implementation of UNDRIP across countries, sharing good practices, challenges, and failures, which should be presented at the 20th session of EMRIP. This should also include the recognition of the role of UN agencies at the national level, especially on the integration of the UNDRIP in their national program and national action plans, particularly with the statewide action plan that was required under the outcome document. Following the rush for green energy and the deepening extractive focus on transitional minerals and the inherent human rights abuses that are arising from Nigeria to Zimbabwe, from Ghana to Namibia, International mineral exploitation is already generating conflict and great human rights abuses against indigenous peoples. We therefore propose to ENRIP to carry out a study on indigenous peoples' energy sovereignty and international minerals, particularly with the human rights situation that we are seeing around international mineral exploitation in Africa. Madam Chair, for effective participation, there is absolute need for fairness in the conduct of the affairs of indigenous-led organizations. For Africa, we are worried that the principle of rotation which has guided Operation ENRIP is being eroded with the current election of officers of ENRIP. This is not nice, and we expect that in the future we need to be— this needs to be corrected. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to call on Alianza de Pueblos Originarios. Barrios de Boricua Organización CAN.

Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Expert Mechanism. I'm from Puerto Rico, a Boricua ancestral land. I am Barbara and I'm a member of an organization and I have the honor to Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to speak on behalf of the Alliance of Peoples coming from the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. We would like to say that there's an alarming lack of guarantees in the field of human rights that our indigenous people suffers as a direct consequence of our colonial status. In our territories, there is a tax power which is enforced through the U.S. government, through a board that has been imposed externally. This means that we have payments to Wall Street being prioritized, and there's a structural dismantling of our living conditions. This colonial and humanitarian crisis has been strictly documented by the special procedures of the UN. We would mention the report of the Special Procedure on Human Rights in 2018 and also communications of the Special Rapporteurship on the Right to Health in 2022. Both reports denounce the devastating impact of tax austerity on housing and health, recommending that these punitive measures be put to an end. This persistent aggression, together with the UN General Assembly in its subsidiary body, the Special Committee on Decolonization, which has adopted over 40 historic decisions on the issue of Puerto Rico to demand the end of the colonialism and demand the respect for our independence and sovereignty. This mandate in its Article 3 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the People is important. It enshrines the inalienable right to political self-determination. We urge the MRAP to receive information from peoples affected and to conduct a study together with the Decolonization Committee Indigenous peoples in non-autonomous territories with a colonial status so as to achieve the goals. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next is Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians.

Thank you, Madam Chair. For Sand Hill Band of Indians, we commend NREP for the work that it's done already, and we request follow-up workshops with practical guidance to help us, to help us learn how to retrieve and rescue ceremonial objects, ancestral remains, manuscripts, cultural patrimony, and traditional knowledge according to the Articles 11, 12, and 31 of the Declaration. We further recommend that AMRIC conduct a study with UNESCO on ancient indigenous manuscripts and codices as expression of indigenous spiritual languages and living knowledge systems deserving the same respect, protection, and revitalization and transmission afforded to indigenous languages oral traditions, and ceremonial practices. Their return is essential not only for cultural preservation but also for the continuity of indigenous spiritual science, educational and ceremonial life, in particular to provide our youth their own faith and a strong heart with encouragement of intercultural peaceful relations. Finally, we once again respectfully ask the expert mechanism to continue strengthening its role in monitoring the treatment of indigenous children and families and vulnerable indigenous communities through country engagements and observation wherever it is requested by indigenous people. We recommend also for AMRIT to do country visits, especially in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, to help family farmers learn how to protect their rivers and their waters. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the statement.

I'd next like to call on Indonesia. Thank you, Madam Chair. Indonesia welcomes the opportunity to offer views on the MREP's future work, and let me be candid, this mechanism's mandate is to assist states in achieving the ends of the Declaration. Through studies, good practices, and advice, with its success measured by states' actions. The Declaration also established conditions for pursuing those ends, including that national particularities and historical backgrounds are taken into account, and in Article 46, that the territorial integrity and political unity of sovereign states be respected. This was fundamental condition of the declaration on which many states, including Indonesia, voted in favor in 2007, and it remains the basis for promoting and protecting the rights of our customary law communities today. Unfortunately, I have observed that some statements from this floor have advocated actions beyond that scope and objectives, including calls for independence from a sovereign state. This is concerning and must not be allowed. When the declaration's own terms are ignored, the result is not stronger rights. It is weaker commitment from the stakeholders that ought to deliver them and a declaration further from realization. As we approach the 20th anniversary of UNDRIP, these concerns deserves reflection. Against this backdrop, let me offer 3 ways forward. First, the mechanism should base its future work on its mandate under Resolution 3325 and within the Declaration's own scope and objectives, including Article 46. Second, the EMRIP should ensure that the information it receives from stakeholders is accurate. Verified and not misleading, and that the conclusions drawn from it remain within the Declaration, including Article 46. Finally, this mechanism's future work depends on its impact on the communities on the ground. They shouldn't wait for debates over terminology or concept or protect their rights, languages, or livelihood. Indonesia is protecting those rights now under our constitutional work. Thank you. Very

sorry, time's elapsed. Thank you. Next, I'd like to call Gobierno Territorial

Autónomo Aguajún. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm Edith Sitsam, and it's an honor for me to take the floor on behalf of the territorial autonomous government of the Conoacanqui Province in the Peruvian Amazon. Over the years, the expert mechanism has provided key contribution to the promotion and interpretation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Thanks to its studies and opinions, we would like to hail the quality of its work. Nonetheless, the real value can be assessed in implementation. For many Indigenous peoples, including the Warum people, the challenge remains significant: the protection of land, the respect for free, prior, and informed consent, the awareness of our institutions, and effective action in terms of justice. We therefore encourage the mechanism to follow up on recommendations already adopted and adopt also its future work set up a system of periodic assessment based on the contributions of states and Indigenous Peoples. This would make it possible to assess the progress made, to identify the persistent barriers, and to promote good practices. We also support the strengthening of country visits and direct dialogue with representative institutions who are representing Indigenous Peoples so that recommendations made can be further adapted to the realities on the ground and supported with indicators so as to assess the results. Lastly, at the approach of the 20th anniversary of UNDRIP, we call on the mechanism to undertake an overall assessment of implementation since 2007. This exercise would be a valuable contribution to guide future actions and to bolster the effectiveness of rights recognized by the Declaration.

I thank you. Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Aceh Sumatra Indigenous People.

Right here. Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. My name is, uh, As EMRIP considers its future work, I ask this expert mechanism not only to make recommendations but also to strengthen follow-up where indigenous people continue to report that their rights are not being respected. For the indigenous people of Aceh, Sumatra, many of the rights recognized under UNDRIP remain unfulfilled. Our language continues to decline. Our ancestral lands continue to face mining and resources extractions without our meaningful participation. Indigenous populations who peacefully defend their territory continue to report intimidation and pressure. We are deeply concerned that the economic developments continue to be be prioritized over the right of indigenous people. Our natural resources are extracted while many indigenous areas receive little benefit and have limited influence of— over decisions affecting our inherited land. The only lasting solutions that they have created for the people of Aceh, for Papua, and Malukas to exercise their to self-determination as recognized in Article 3 of UNDRIP. We respectfully urge EMRIP to increase its engagement with Indonesia to monitor the implementation of its recommendation and to encourage meaningful dialogue with the Indigenous people consistent with UNDRIP. Indigenous people should not have to come repeatedly to the United Nations to raise the same concern year after year without meaningful, meaningful progress. We believe that respecting our rights to self-determination as recognized under Article 3 of UNDRIP— uh,

thank you. Thank you for your statement. Next, to offer the floor to SACA Policy Advocacy

Center. Thank you, Madam Chair. As EMRIP considers its future work and follow-up to previous recommendations, we urge the expert mechanism to pay closer attention to the implementation gap between the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the reality faced by indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation. In recent years, the situation has continued to deteriorate. Power has become increasingly centralized, undermining the autonomy of the national republics and weakening indigenous self-governance. Education reforms have reduced opportunities to learn indigenous languages, while extractive industries continue to Expands on Indigenous Lands Without Meaningful Participation, or FPIC. Indigenous human rights defenders have been criminalized, organizations have been forced into exile, and Indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected by militarization and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. These developments demonstrate a systematic failure to implement the principles reflected in EMRIP's previous studies and advice. We encourage EMRIP to continue monitoring the implementation of its recommendations in the Russian Federation and to develop stronger follow-up mechanisms where indigenous rights continue to deteriorate. We also urge EMRIP to recommend that the Russian Federation end policies of forced Russification, restore the constitutional powers of the national republics necessary to protect indigenous rights, and comply with the federal principles and distribution of powers established under the federative agreement. If these commitments continue to be systematically disregarded, The legitimacy of the existing federal relationship should be subject to international scrutiny. Thank

you. Thank you very much for your statement. Would next like to offer the floor to Comunidad Warpe Guaitamari.

El goy sumet mutuani gracias señora. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The Indigenous community of Waipi Gotamare would like to respectfully address the expert mechanism and consider the elaboration of a thematic study on extractive industries and the serious violations of human rights that affect Indigenous peoples Throughout the world, we see the same patterns. Large petroleum, mineral, forest, or hydroelectrical projects affect in a disproportionate manner indigenous peoples. This is not simply about environmental damage. With growing frequency, these projects do not have any prior informed and free consent from indigenous persons and lead to destruction, ancestral tourism, destruction of sources of water, degradation of cultural heritage, a rupture in the transmission of languages, destroying local cultures, as well as the criminalization of those who defend our rights. The situation that the Waitekere community is facing in Argentina illustrates something that we see in other parts of the world involving indigenous persons. These violations are grounds for very serious concerns. Nevertheless, when they are happening in a systematic and cumulative manner, they can destroy the conditions that make it possible for an indigenous peoples group to survive as a community. This is why we propose a study to look at these trends in a comprehensive manner, analyzing the interaction between the rights of Indigenous peoples, international human rights law, environmental law, and in most serious cases, criminal— international criminal law. A study of such nature will make it possible to identify global trends. Sorry, time has elapsed.

Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Asians of Russia.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My name is Batlat Matinov. I represent the Buryat people and the founder of independent media platform of Indigenous Asian peoples of Russia. Russian authorities have recognized our organization as a terrorist organization because we talk about problems of our people. We believe in the future studies we should pay attention to the colonial nature of Russian policies vis-à-vis indigenous persons, Russification, limitations on education in native Exploitation of natural resources, non-respect of free, informed, and prior consent, repressions against the representatives of our peoples, and the impact of the war are not separate issues. This is a demonstration of one single colonial system. In Irkutsk Oblast, on the territory of Buryatia, where there's 75,000 Buryats living, There's still no state national education policies, but authorities say that this is not necessary. The war has even— has exacerbated the situation even more. Many representatives of indigenous peoples had to leave their native lands, and this forced emigration leads to the destruction of the language sphere and independent activists that remained in Russia are criminally persecuted. We urge the expert mechanism to prepare a separate study on the impact of modern colonial practices, the war, and political repressions on the rights of Indigenous peoples in Russia, and also to ensure the full-fledged participation of independent representatives of Indigenous peoples in preparation of future studies and recommendations. Thank you.

Thank you for your statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to Winnemem Wintu

Thank you, Chair. I'm speaking as legal advocate representative for the traditional authority of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, the matriarchal matrilineal spiritual leadership and indigenous peoples representative institution. The Winnemem Wintu Tribe is federally non- or unrecognized tribe still living in its traditional territory in the United States practicing tribal traditions. We recommend that MRIP conduct, conduct a formal study on intimidation and reprisals. Such a study will be especially important at this time in sharing learning and prevention as we go further into developing and enacting enhanced participation. As a process of and groundwork for peacebuilding and conflict resolution and historic multilateralism development, the realization of a new distinct permanent participatory status at the UN and in the Human Rights Council for Indigenous peoples' representative institutions as distinct rights holders and responsibility bearers as Indigenous governments, i.e., governing bodies and own authorities, is imperative. We have been a part of this work consistently for many years, including under the auspices of enhanced participation, and as stated on Tuesday, we support the ICB in this process. We continue to reiterate that enhanced participation must be a permanent status of Indigenous peoples' representative institutions applied criteria therein to include traditional authorities and non-state-recognized Indigenous peoples, resulting in their self-determination right to appoint own representatives of choice and through own decision-making processes not based on externally imposed criteria. We also both know and experience that this work and change puts many of us at risk and can and often does position many of us as targets. A formal EMRIP study on intimidation and reprisals will help to safeguard against future intimidation and reprisals made against Indigenous peoples' representative institutions and/or their representatives of choice, Indigenous leaders, Indigenous peoples and individuals, and human rights and Indigenous rights defenders, both specifically and in general. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I have a joint statement by PLUM, FEMI, and ECMI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I deliver this joint statement on behalf of PLUM, National Indigenous Women's Rights Alliance, ECMI, the Continental Network of Indigenous Women, and FEMI, the International Forum of Indigenous Women. As this mechanism considers its future program of work beyond 2027, we respectfully encourage EMRIP to include in its 2028 program of work a comprehensive thematic study on the rights of Indigenous women and girls. Over the years, EMRIP has made important contributions by progressively integrating the rights, experiences, and leadership of Indigenous women and girls across its thematic studies on participation in decision-making, access to justice, education, health, climate change, lands, territories and resources, traditional knowledge, and the implementation of the UNDRIP. We believe the evolution of EMRIP's work now presents a timely opportunity to consolidate these contributions through a dedicated thematic study. For more than 30 years, Indigenous women have organized collectively at the national, regional, and global levels to advance our individual and collective rights. Through representative organizations and networks such as ECMEA and FEMI, we have contributed to advancing international standards, including the UNDRIP and CEDAW GR 39. We therefore respectfully recommend that Indigenous women and girls from all 7 sociocultural regions together with their representative organizations and networks, be engaged as partners through the design, consultation, drafting, and review of this study. Such a study would strengthen the implementation of UNDRIP by addressing self-determination, leadership, violence, lands, territories, resources, climate justice, and the rights to future generations, while ensuring that the rights, leadership, and contributions of Indigenous women and girls are fully reflected in MBREP's future work. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement. Next, I'd like to call Uliti Falalop, Community Action Program.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am joining my 36 Indigenous brothers and sisters in the 26th cohort in the Indigenous Fellowship Program. I would like to highlight that I'm actually part of a community what we call Rematau, which means people of the ocean or descendants of the sea lanes. One of our customary practices for community fishing feeds our womenfolk, grandmothers, mothers, mothers-to-be, and those who are yet to be born. This customary practice is a very intersectional practice that I believe EMRIP has that opportunity to intersect with special procedures, CEDAW General Recommendation 39, and also the Rights of Child Article 27, my apologies. Because we recognize that some of our common issues intersects with other mechanisms. Just like you're stringing fish. In that moment, we also recognize that it's also cross-cutting our indigenous issues, as highlighted by my sister, my sister here to the right from the Haudenosaunee Nation, when she highlights when she highlighted the FPIC issues in international instruments. In that same vein, my maternal relatives from the from the ocean of Palau. Who are the first signatory for the High Seas Treaty, have recognized our rights. So UNDRIP is actually embedded in the preamble of the High Seas Treaties, and there are 5 articles within that legal-bound agreement that points to member states that they are obligated. Now I ask EMREP to look at the study where it can operationalize those 5 articles in relations to UNDRIP articles, especially with 39 and 41. In addition, 11 to 15 and 31. And with that, I would like to highlight I'm in solidarity with all my indigenous relatives in the islands and coastal states because we recognize there are 3 coastal states that are bidding for the Secretariat of the High Seas Treaty. And we hope they will ensure that our rights are recognized as indigenous people.

Thank you very much for that statement. Next, I'd like to offer the floor to New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council.

Madam Chair, the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council welcomes the discussion on the future works of the expert mechanism, including the follow-up on recommendations made in previous studies and advice. We therefore encourage the expert mechanism, one, to build upon its existing mandate by undertaking a future study examining how recommendations made by the United Nations treaty bodies, special procedures, and the universal periodic review concerning Indigenous peoples are implemented into domestic law, policy, and practice, including identifying barriers to the implementation and examples of good practice. 2, to undertake a future study on the incorporation of the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples into domestic legal policies and frameworks, including examples of legislative, constitutional, and policy reforms. 3, consider developing practices, follow-up tools, or indicators that assist Indigenous peoples States and United Nations mechanism to monitor implementations of recommendations concerning Indigenous peoples arising from the— across the United Nations human rights system, and 4, to continue strengthening follow-up to previous studies and country engagement initiatives by identifying practical measures that support implementations, accountability, and measurable outcomes. The future works of expert expert mechanisms should therefore focus on practical implementation, measurable outcomes, and stronger follow-up mechanisms that support both states and Indigenous peoples in giving effect to the rights contained in the declarations. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

Thank you very much for that statement and all of your contributions. That will close the speakers list for now. And I'd like to turn to my colleagues on the MRIP for any remarks they may have. In that case, we can call one more speaker. Thank you. I'd like to call on Organización Milenaria Asháninka y Nomatsiyenga de Pangoa, OMANP.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, for this opportunity to take the floor. My name is Clayton Valentin and I represent The organization Ashaninka e Namatsinghinga from Peru. We'd like to express our appreciation to the expert mechanism for its valuable contribution to strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples through the preparation of studies, technical advice, and recommendations addressed to states. We believe that one of the most important challenges in the coming years is to strengthen the follow-up to the recommendations that are made by the mechanism in order to evaluate their implementation and the real impact that they have on the lives of Indigenous persons. Based on the experience of my peoples, we propose EMRIP develop more systematic monitoring methodologies in coordination with states, national human rights institutions, and especially those organizations that represent Indigenous persons. We believe that it is a priority deepen work on legal security of indigenous territories, the protection of human rights defenders, the effective implementation of free, prior, and informed consent, and governance of natural resources, and the impact of climate change on indigenous peoples. We also would like to invite the mechanism to strengthen technical assistance to states to facilitate the practical implementation of its recommendations and to promote the exchange of best practices between countries. The success of EMRIT should not only be reflected in the quality of studies, but also in the ability of its recommendations to bring concrete changes in the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. We reiterate our willingness to continue to work with this mechanism based on the experience and knowledge of the Ashaninka and Nomad Tsigüenga peoples of Peru. Thank you.

Thank you very much for that statement, and many thanks to all of the speakers who offered us contributions this afternoon for future work. And this is, I think, one of the most important agenda items of our week, because this is the list that's a running list that we roll over and we refer to every year. when we decide on the topics of our next studies and our reports. So what comes from the floor is what we choose to work on in the future. I want to offer the microphone from the podium to the Secretariat, who has an announcement to make.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to share with you that the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council is expecting to issue a call for applications around September or October for the Emory vacancies corresponding to the Africa and North America regions, and the appointments are scheduled to be made at the conclusion of the Human Rights Council at its 64th session. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage all qualified candidates to consider applying for membership in the expert mechanism. mechanism on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you all. We have gone through the list of speakers, and I have to say, I know the 2-minute time is not always popular with each individual speaker, but what we have observed this week is that many, many more speakers get to take the floor. So we appreciate your cooperation and your understanding on the 2-minute limit. That has allowed many, many more people to share their voices in our agenda items. And for that, we are grateful. As this is my last time at the podium, I want to say how much of a privilege and an honor it has been to serve in this capacity. And thank you so much, all of you, indigenous peoples, states, NGOs, NHRI, treaty bodies, everyone that we've interacted with in the last 6 years. It has been a pleasure to try to advance the rights of indigenous peoples alongside you. Thank you. Thank you very much. I wish you a lovely evening, and we will adjourn this agenda item. And tomorrow we have a shortened day. We will have a closed meeting, the members and secretariat. for the first 90 minutes, 10:00 to 11:30. And then at 11:30, we will have our final agenda item, which is announcement of the final report. So have a good evening and hope to see you here tomorrow at 11:30. Thank you. Thank you.