(6th meeting) UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 25th session

Tina koto katoa. The 6th meeting of the 25th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is called to order. In accordance with our program of work, we will continue our consideration of agenda item 5D, entitled Human Rights Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous. Annual review of progress on the implementation of General Recommendation number 39. This afternoon we will have a general discussion on this item. We will hear from members of the forum who wish to speak and then from the observers who have inscribed on the pre established list of speakers. Before proceeding further, I would like to thank all of you again for your cooperation in using the limited space available to us. In that regard, I would like to kindly request that no one is standing or sitting on the stairs. Additional seats are also available in the second row behind the name plates for Indigenous peoples organisations. The forum members and indigenous parliamentarians have also kindly permitted that the advisor seats behind them might be used by representatives of indigenous peoples organisations. Further, you can stand at the back of this room, but as aforementioned, please not on the stairs. When we conduct the general discussion. I will announce the next three speakers from from indigenous peoples organisations to speak. So you would have sufficient time to come From Conference Room 7 here if your organisation's name was among these three and go to the reserved seat to speak. Please signify to the IPDB staff when you are here in Conference Room 3. I kindly ask representatives of Indigenous peoples organisations that once they have spoken to go to Conference Room 7 to allow their sisters and brothers to have a seat with microphone here in Conference Room 3. I thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Before we begin our general discussion, I would like to recall the to support the interpreters, speakers are kindly requested to speak at a reasonable speed and send their statements in advance with the meeting's date and title to the email address. Estatementsn.org that's estatementsn.org Participants must ensure that they sit only on the seat that bears their designation. Representatives of indigenous peoples organisations may not sit directly behind the nameplate of a UN Member State. And now we will begin with our Speaker's list. I will first give the floor to forum members. I see. Okay. I now give the floor to the representative of Finland on behalf of the Nordic countries, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries, Denmark, together with Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Finland. We thank The Special Rapporteur, Mr. Barume and Ms. Cunningham, the Chair as well as all MRIP members for their important work. The Nordic countries reaffirm the importance and independence of the UN human rights mechanisms and value their support to the UN and its Member States. Chairman the Nordic countries welcome the recent reporting of the Special Rapporteur and MRIP on issues concerning, inter alia, the recognition of indigenous peoples, their right to resources, lands and territories, as well as the right of indigenous peoples to their traditional economies. The reports provide not only input and recommendations, including on the adverse impact of the conflation of indigenous peoples with local communities, but also valuable information that help us better understand the situation of indigenous peoples around the globe. Chair in the current geopolitical situation, it is more important than ever to discuss also questions around security and defence in the context of indigenous peoples and their rights. It is of great importance that indigenous peoples are included in this discussion. The Special Rapporteur has noted in his recent report to the GA that indigenous peoples should be considered allies and partners in matters of international security affairs. Dialogue with indigenous peoples, including indigenous women, is indeed important in processes related to the topical geopolitical situations that that affect their rights. This applies also to the Arctic region. The Nordic countries stand ready to continue the discussion and we welcome further recommendations of the mechanisms and this forum on the best ways to protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples, also in matters concerning security and defence policy. I thank you.

I thank the representative of Finland and the Nordic countries. I now give the floor to the representative from the IGO World Health Assembly. I mean World Health Organisation. Apologies.

Thank you, Emma. Distinguished delegates, members of the Permanent Forum and representatives of indigenous peoples organisations, thank you for allowing the opportunity to speak today on behalf of the World Health Organization Headquarters. I would firstly like to thank the forum members for their identification of health as the key theme for this year's session and for the related background information. My name is Shanice and I am a Bunjimara Gariada, indigenous woman from the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. On the topic of this year's theme, I would like to share Select WHO works first and foremost as we've heard about. WHO is currently in the process of developing a global plan of action for the health of indigenous peoples in keeping with resolution 7616 of the World Health Assembly. This is being done in consultation with indigenous peoples in accordance with the undrip. This work is seen as an important opportunity to recognise the strengths and rights of indigenous peoples to advance their health and health related human rights. The draft Global Plan of Action for the Health of Indigenous Peoples is informed by Indigenous peoples conceptualisation of health and proposes indigenous led solutions to improve their health and well being no matter where they call home. It also acknowledges indigenous peoples living in humanitarian context and experiencing health emergencies in conflict settings. Many indigenous peoples face compounded and acute health vulnerabilities. While WHO delivers critical emergency health interventions in various countries, Explicit, systematically targeted indigenous health programming is challenged by different factors including the lack of data. WHO reaffirms that the health of indigenous peoples cannot be achieved without meaningful participation, self determination and protections that extend specifically to those living in contexts of violence and displacement placement and that strengthening culturally appropriate community led approaches is a central priority going forward. In 2025 the World Health assembly adopted the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy which envisages universal access to safe, effective and people centered traditional complementary and integrative medicines for the health and wellbeing for all and it also includes a guiding principle on indigenous people's rights. We are also preparing the first WHO Global Report on the Commercial determinants of health. As part of its development, a series of iterative consultations with an Indigenous Reference group were conducted alongside the preparation of a background paper by one of its members to inform the Global Report's analysis of the commercial determinants of indigenous health and wellbeing. Finally, WHO is developing a forthcoming framework on indigenous knowledge, biodiversity and health to strengthen indigenous led engagement in global health and biodiversity governance. I thank you and WHO look forward to continuing to collaborate for the health of indigenous peoples. Globally going.

I thank the representative of the World Health Organization. I now give the floor to the representative of Confederacion de Pueblos de la Nacional de Quichua del Ecuador.

Indigenous Peoples of the World on this International Day of Mother Earth. During this session we are convened to discuss guaranteeing the health of indigenous peoples, including in context of conflict, talking about the health of peoples. We must talk about first of all what health means from our people's vision. We can't talk about health for indigenous peoples when our land are being encroached on by large scale mining and oil exploration without prior consent, with them polluting our water, contaminating our food and what they're doing is perpetuating the structural health problems we have on our land. Furthermore, they are permanently encroaching on our self determination, our way of life and our ways of social organization. We can't talk about health when hundreds of leaders who are fighting to defend our lands are being interfered with with our leaders bank accounts being frozen just because they are defending life on our lands. In summary, if we want to have health care for our people, we need to first look after the health of Mother Earth. Mother Earth cannot be sick with pollution just because of the interest and the greed of a few. In Ecuador before, government delegates at these events had very little shame. However, right now what the delegates are doing is rather simply talking about the government's position without talking about the undermining of the rights of indigenous people on our lands. And we're hearing here the narrative of government delegates who are saying that they are making progress for the rights of indigenous people, when in reality they are using this as a smokescreen to cover up the lack of efforts to fight climate. And there's also the suspension of mining actions. The fact is, though, in practice we have seen multiple hundred percent increases in these activities and we haven't resolved the issue of illegal mining or other actions. Now, more than 100 leaders and communicators have been tried for unjustified embezzlement and their accounts have been closed just because they are defending our rights. What's more, they are currently engaging in this process in order to link these leaders to these activities and definitively closing their accounts. So in this vein, I would like to just mention to our brothers and sisters present here that it is only unity and fighting to defend Mother Wrath that will prevail. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Confederacion de Puevo Estela Nacionalidad Quichua del Ecuador. And I now give the floor to the distinguished

representative of the Russian Federation. Distinguished Chair. We think the expert mechanism, especially Rapporteur of the UN on indigenous peoples

Thank you, Madam Chair. Delegates, representatives of indigenous peoples, Spain aligns itself with the statement made by the European Union. I wish to reiterate the firm and sustained commitment of Spain to the rights of indigenous peoples. The fact is that during this session we're talking about rights, the rights of indigenous peoples and human rights. We know that indigenous peoples have had specific rights recognized in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, this does not mean that they are not also subject to universal human rights. Traditional medicine, their own ways of organising themselves, or the right to use their own language, for example, do not exclude the rights that indigenous peoples have as human beings to have access on an equal footing to health services, to justice with all necessary safeguards, or to be protected by the authorities from any aggression or violation of their human rights. Madam Chair, we are seeing that every year the amount of indigenous rights defenders being murdered is increasing unacceptably. However, furthermore, aggressions of many different types, threats, intimidations, evictions or invasions of their land, these are all violations of basic rights that are encroaching on an increasing number of territories. Spain has spent years working with the authorities of different countries and with the United nations and other relevant organizations in order to call out this intolerable situation where indigenous peoples are not being defended or being made invisible. We all need to make the necessary efforts and engage in the actions that are required to change this situation as soon as possible. However, above all, the institutions and authorities of the countries where indigenous peoples live must ensure that the human rights of indigenous communities and peoples are safeguarded. Spain's Foreign Development Agency, through our Indigenous Program, has been supporting indigenous organizations, their representatives and activists in order to strengthen and empower indigenous peoples themselves in order to tackle this situation, for them to be able to maintain and strengthen their fight, to have the ability to advocate and to ensure their own protection in Spain. We want to see a world where no more indigenous leaders are murdered and where indigenous communities can live in peace with full access to all of their rights, both the rights that they have as indigenous peoples as well as universal human rights. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Spain. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Inuit Circumpolar Council. Okay, there doesn't appear to be someone here, so I now give the floor to the representative of Mburoro Social and Cultural Development Association. I now give the floor to the representative of the Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association. Okay, so there's no representative from there. I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian association of Indigenous People Peoples of the North.

I'm sorry, Chair. The issue is that last time our organization met, we spoke under the association umbrella. I took the floor already then. But anyway. Distinguished Special Rapporteur members of the Forum start from the beginning. In 2010, the Russian government systematically established a system of complete control over the peoples of Russia in which a key role was played by the oppression of the leaders. In 2013, full government control was established over seven indigenous peoples organizations in Russia, including Raipon. Through intimidation and appointing those loyal to them, they limited or essentially destroyed human rights defending activities. In addition, the state turned Ripon and its leaders into an instrument for exerting pressure for tracking and surveillance and intimidating independent leaders and activists on the international level. They used it to project Russian propaganda. We spread express our solidarity to the representatives of indigenous people throughout the world and human rights organizations. But only Raipon expressed support for the actions of the Russian government with regard to arrest and repression of these indigenous leaders. I'm sure that after myself, Raipan will take the floor and say they do not support these actions. But we have statements from the leaders of Raipan in which they clearly state that they did support the actions of the Russian government with regard to the repression of independent leaders. Starting in 2019, we've seen a steady trend of systematic cleansing and destruction of the activities of indigenous peoples and their human rights defenders. Today we can see that the dismantling of independent human rights infrastructure of indigenous peoples has essentially been completed. Therefore, in December 2025, the FSB carried out mass arrests against 17 activists from republics of Altai, Sahay, Puti, Kanyronskoye, Murmansk and Tomsk and other regions of Russia. All of them were charged with taking part in terrorist activities in Moscow. Dalia Yegiriva and Natalia Ranga were arrested and they are facing sentences of 10 to 25 years in prison, the freedom of Dalyariva and Tadia Younger and other political prisoners they ought to be freed. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Russian association of Indigenous Peoples of the north and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ecuador, Gracia Senora

thank you Madam Chair Given the short amount of time we have to give concrete data and details on progress in human rights and protection and in particular the rights of women and girls the Ecuadorian delegation is providing to this forum consolidated technical documentation with verifiable results and data in digital format through a QR code. Now, in the framework of concrete actions Ecuador has allocated approximately for 2025 US$3 million for healthcare infrastructure on indigenous land prioritizing the Type A healthcare centre in Tutinetsa in Wampuic as well as the health posts in Kumbansta and Nunki Nunca this is providing health care for indigenous peoples in the Amazon region. Now, when it comes to compliance with the Inter American system for the human rights of isolated indigenous peoples and those in recent contact Ecuador can state now that we have moved from an exclusively declarative phase to a concrete institutional implementation phase. In the case of Sarayaku the state has already comprehensively provided redress measures such as publicly recognizing as well as providing official publications and compensation currently engaging in actions geared towards taking structural measures for regulating alignment regulatory alignment under the coordination of our national institutions in the case now of the Tagairi and Taromenane peoples Ecuador has already activated the first compliance cycle through the official report that was submitted in March 2026 with effective budgetary disbursement for international reparations reaching 48,216. Coordination with the Attorney General's office and submitting technical annexes on progress made in protection territorial monitoring technical with the Technical Evaluation Commission in the Intangible Zone and strengthened safeguards of non repetition. This enables us to declare that in 2025 we were able to grant identity documents with self ethnicity identification for 201,000 people. This year 9,000 scholarships have been granted for work professional certifications to strengthen skills and employability and there have been more than 200 projects reaching 26 million for peoples and nationalities and this is something that has never been done before. Thank you very much Chair Representative of

Ecuador and I now give the floor to the representative of Rastria Adewasi Janajati Mahiliya March, Nepal Distinguished Chair members of the forum My name is Sabdam Lama and and I am an indigenous young woman from the Tamsaling Nation of the indigenous peoples of Nepal. I speak today on the behalf of the Tamang community in Bochini whose rights are being violated by the Upper Tamakosi hydropower transmission project. While every day is Earth Day on indigenous lands, on this occasion let me share how Tamang women and girls are facing severe mental and physical health impacts on the very land they protect. In indigenous Tamang communities such as Bojani, development projects like the hydropower substation have deeply disrupted lives and landscapes. A sacred spring used for spiritual and shamanic healing practices has been destroyed. Traditional plants will be lost once the substation becomes operational. Agricultural land has been damaged and families will lose their land without right compensation. For Tamang women, the right to a dignified land is inseparable from the right to live and die on their ancestral land. When land is taken, it is not only livelihood that is lost, but also health, spirituality and well being. This is why infrastructural development must be understood. Through gender sensitive environmental, physical and mental health impact assessments, indigenous women and girls are experiencing not only physical violence from state and armed forces, but also deep physical harm, fear, anxiety and social withdrawal caused by constant insecurity and intimidation by the state. For both elder women and girls, age has offered no protection. Older women and minors have been dragged, beaten and threatened while defending their land and rights. This is a deeply gendered form of violence that remains largely invisible. While indigenous Tamong women has asked a project official if they are not even equal to the birds and animals, but the state authorities have argued that relocating infrastructure would negatively impact wildlife. This raises a critical question. Are indigenous women's health, dignity and well being being considered with the same level of importance? This question reflects a painful reality where development frameworks often prioritize infrastructure and environmental compliance while failing to recognize the rights, dignity and consent of indigenous women. So I offer some recommendations as follows. First, states and funding agencies must conduct gender sensitive environmental, physical and mental health impact assessments. Second, ensure accountability for violence against indigenous women and girls, including during peaceful protest and land defense. Third, guarantee the full and meaningful implementation of free pride and informed consent, ensuring that indigenous women are central to decision making processes. And without these measures, development will continue to generate conflict rather than solid solving it. Thank you to J.C. i thank the representative of the Rustria Ariwasi Janajati Mahita March, Nepal. I'd just like to take this opportunity to remind the participants that this is a space for everybody to be able to say what they need without repercussions. So if you have anything you need to say, please save it for later and not after the interventions of the members. Thank you. I now give the floor to the representative of Australia. Thank you. Chair. The Australian Government is committed to working in genuine partnerships with Indigenous women and girls to ensure their rights are fully respected, protected and promoted in alignment with recommendation 39. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's alliance is the national peak body. Representing Indigenous women in Australia reminds us that for Indigenous women and girls, UNDRIP is not an abstract framework. It is a practical tool for advancing safety, health, justice and self determination. We know that the resilience, leadership and cultural strength of Indigenous women carry our communities forward. Yet Indigenous women and girls continue to be impacted by intersecting systems of harm, gender equality, racism and ongoing impacts of colonisation. Indigenous women in Australia experience unacceptable rates of violence and overrepresented in the justice system. Indigenous children in Australia are overrepresented in our child protection services and facing ongoing socio economic disadvantage. Chair. Rooted in connection to culture, land, water, community, Indigenous women have faced adversity with strength and have advocated tirelessly for their voices to be heard. The Australian Government is committed to listening and working in partnership with Indigenous women to achieve change. Australia recently launched our first national plan to address the high and disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women and children. Called Our Ways, Strong Ways, Our Voices, this is a landmark plan that was co designed in partnership with Indigenous women communities and organisations. This plan builds on and complements existing work at the Commonwealth level to advance gender equality for Indigenous women, including through the national agreement on Closing the Gap. The plan will include the establishment of a national network of Aboriginal community controlled organisations and support for a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak body for family, domestic and sexual violence. The appointment of the first National Commissioner for Aboriginal, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in 2025 is another step forward strengthening the protection and promotion of the rights of Indigenous children and young people. Chair. Internationally we are guided by our international gender equality strategy. Australia continues to advance gender equality and the human rights of women and girls. Moving forward, we must continue to listen to the voices and aspirations of Indigenous women and girls to guide our collective efforts to realise a future grounded in equality, partnership and self determination. Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of Australia and I now give the floor to the representative of the Wayfinders Circle. Madam Chair, Special Rapporteur, President of mrep, Distinguished representatives and States. This is a collective statement of the members of the Wayfinders Circle, a global network of Indigenous people that exchanges knowledge, cultures and spirituality while building solidarity to strengthen our collective Unity. My name is Maria Martin from the Helsink Nation located in Bella Bella, British Columbia, Canada. I was born and raised in culture and community. My leadership is rooted in advocacy for holistic well being that is also rooted in Helsik teachings, Helsik laws and values. This intervention is endorsed by Samid Riccasarve representing the Reindeer Communities and other Sami associations in Sweden. The Helsink Nation known as Canada Dayak Iban Sungai Utuk Community, West Katimantan, Indonesia Blackfoot Confederacy of the US And Canada and World Union Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners on behalf of the Wayfinders Circle, I wish to address the challenges our indigenous communities face regarding our lands and waters. As stated by many others here, the health of our communities is interconnected with the health of our territories. We respectfully urge all governments to move beyond symbolic endorsement toward the full implementation of of free prior and informed consent as outlined in the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This starts with meaningful consultation. Inconsistent or merely symbolic consultation produces harmful outcomes such as violations of indigenous rights, detrimental health, injustices and outsiders who become decision makers creating inequity. The failure to respect free prior and informed consent and meaningful consultations is not a bureaucratic oversight, it is a systemic issue. While departments and agencies carry out these actions, they are merely following a script written by the government. We must hold all accountable architects of potential legal violations. Therefore, the Wayfinder Circles calls for free prior and informed consent to be codified into all national and local laws and policies. I thank the representative of the Wayfinders Circle and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guatemala,

Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Forum, distinguished representatives, please receive the warmest regards of my country. Before I begin, I would like to reiterate Guatemala's support to the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as well as to the expert mechanism. Given that the quality of life of women, girls from the Maya and Sinka and other indigenous groups in Guatemala are suffering from a lack of educational lack of access to education, to justice work, to comprehensive health, to political participation. The State of Guatemala has included in its government plans measures to address the causes of this that include, among other things, comprehensive health and this includes sexual health, the prevention of early pregnancy in girls and adolescents, dealing with school dropout, human trafficking, prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases, forced marriages that limit the full exercise of their rights. The Ombuds Person's Office for Indigenous Women is striving to address the particular conditions of vulnerability and discrimination against indigenous women and also to prevent, defend and eradicate all forms of violence and discrimination against indigenous women. We are promoting actions to defend their individual and collective rights. Promoting development with government entities and non governmental organisations. With local and national organisations as well as indigenous women's organisations and indigenous authorities. We are engaging in actions geared towards providing public policy plans and programmes to fight against all forms of violence and discrimination against indigenous women. The Amicabo institution is contributing to implementing affirmative action to benefit Maya, Shinka and Garifuna women who are victims of sexual violence in their own land as well as nationally with specific linguistic and cultural approaches. We are also looking at the intersectional approach to indigenous women and girls territoriality with a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach. We recognise that recommendation 39 of CEDAW provides effective guidance for the Guatemalan state to make progress to comply with its responsibilities. However, we're also aware and we also recognize that our country's challenges are extremely relevant here and the ground has been paved in order to and the speaker's microphone was cut off.

So the interpreters Guatemala and I call now give the floor to the representative of Organisation Indigenous Kanukama OIK Muchisima Gracias, Senora Presidenta.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Members of the the Permanent Forum Indigenous brothers and sisters. I'm talking on behalf of the Sierra Nevada and Nimbua Territorial Council representing Ferracago, Kauki and other indigenous people, those of us who live and look after the heart of the world. We are facing the circumstances that I will brief you on and we request that the Indigenous Forum includes in the final document from this session a specific recommendation for the legal protection of the Sierra Nevada and they are seek to suspend mining licenses on our territory and preventing extractive activities in the heart of the world. The Amazon region must be an area of exclusion. We also request that this recommendation insists on the need to document and study indigenous lands and their sacred sites and to adopt protection mechanisms not only for the people who live there and look after the area, but for the whole of humanity and for governments who recognize our own laws and our spiritual authorities as guarantors of the health of the planet. Our land is not a fragmented space. It's a spiritual living body what affects our people's, affects all of us and compromises the balance of the world whose protection is something that has been entrusted to us since the dawn of time. We call out here at the forum that this Yeren Nevada is facing a grave humanitarian crisis due to fresh outbreaks of armed conflict. Due to the conflict between inhabitants and extractive actors we are reporting lockdowns Forced displacements, murders against leaders, violence against women, youth and desecration of sacred sites and undermining our local governance. And this is imperiling our physical and cultural survival. This is not only putting the lives of the four peoples that live in this area at risk in Colombia, but also the whole of humanity in the world writ large. Peace is not built through weapons. It's built by respecting life, dignity and also respecting our holy sites. Hassai Hasai, thank you very much.

I thank the representative of Organisation Indigena Kanukama OIK and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Germany. Madam Chair, Germany thanks the permanent forum for convening this session and welcomes the opportunity to engage in this important dialogue. Germany remains firmly committed to strengthening and protecting the rights of indigenous people peoples. With the human rights based approach as the foundation of our international cooperation, we work to fully implement international law including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Convention Number 169 to address systemic causes of discrimination and violence. Indigenous women and men must be able to participate meaningfully and safely in the decision making. To the contrary, indigenous peoples and those defending their rights far too often face discrimination and prosecution. Indigenous women often face intersecting discrimination, limited access to resources and higher exposure to gender based violence. Germany promotes gender transformative approaches and strengthens indigenous women's leadership in human rights mechanisms, climate processes and other decision making fora thereby supporting their right to self determination. Allow me to highlight two examples from our bilateral cooperation. In Brazil we support initiatives that empower indigenous women as defenders of their lands and ecosystems crucial for biodiversity and climate governance. In Peru, we strengthen the capacities in the justice system to promote, prevent and prosecute violence against women using intercultural approaches to better protect all women. Germany is committed to ensuring that its international cooperation and economic activities respect human rights in line with the principle of free prior and informed consent. In conclusion, implementing General Recommendation number 39 is an integral integral part of Germany's commitment to fostering gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. It is closely aligned with Germany's feminist development policy. We will continue to work in partnership with indigenous women and indigenous peoples organizations to translate these commitments into tangible, inclusive and lasting change. I thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of Germany and I now give the floor to the representative of Medicine Bow Council. Esteemed members of the Board Chair states, associated agencies and relatives alike. I, Tlaio Delphine, Chichimeca and Cora people of Mexico represent Medicine Boat Council and would like to take this time to address the systemic degradation of cultural heritage and and environmental negligence in the south western region of the United States. In order to confront Indigenous health, we must address this first and foremost in regards to cultural heritage. Though thriving with many nations indigenous to the region of southwest United States, many indigenous communities have been steered away from the values previously held in high regard. Western policies foreign to traditional customs suppress communities and defile sites of indigenous importance recognized or unrecognized by their federal offices, reprimanding them of traditional customs so vital to the structure of their societies. By promoting Pan Indianism spread in the 1960s, much of the individual indigenous heritage has been replaced. Conforming to an image depicted by Western powers suffocating with the true morals of being indigenous are history books administered to schools are being washed of cruelty Indigenous people suffered. Along with the aggressive expansion of technology and modern society, we are witnessing the degradation of what it means to be human. Stripping away identities to adhere to roles played out by a civilization built on criminal colonization. A new age conversion if you will. Wiping the slate clean for history to be written in alignment for western agendas in regards to environmental preservation. The rough Chihuahua and Sonoran Desert biomes are suffering from neglected drought conditions influenced and controlled by the state mandating who has access to a natural resource. All life depends on depreciating the environments of vital mineral exchanges, necessary flora presence and fauna. Balancing thus stripping indigenous communities from practicing traditional farming methods built upon the use of engineered hydrology the procurement of indigenous sciences cultivating an ecosystem in harmony. Since the 1960s the fauna population fluctuate due to reduced availability and water once directed and cultivated to benefit both the communities enveloped and biome pre existing resource management is dwindling to a low due to the supposedly more economic beneficial arenas such as golf landscapes, chemical led farmlands, new microchip fabrication data center sites leading to the removal of indigenous genus populations and making way for invasive species to choke out the competition similar to the expansion of Western powers. My recommendation is an in depth analysis of impacts of natural water flow on the Sonoran Desert environment and relationships between flora and fauna and those balance in those biomes Processing analytical data to further support a naturally revolving ecosystem that's self sufficient to implementing permaculture programs to revitalize. I thank the representative of Medicine Bow Council and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan. Thank you, Madam Chair. Since the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in 2000, Japan has worked to develop comprehensive policies respecting the rights and cultural identity of indigenous peoples. Madam Chair, I'd like to address the statements made about Japan's Okinawa Prefecture in yesterday's session. Firstly, Okinawa Prefecture, like other regions in Japan, has a unique and rich culture and tradition. That said, the Government of Japan is not of the view that people born in Okinawa are indigenous people or an indigenous ethnic group, nor is such a view widely recognized in Japan. In this regard, multiple local governments in Okinawa have raised their voices to deny such notion. In any case, Japanese nationals residing in or originating from Okinawa are equally Japanese nationals, with their rights fully and equally guaranteed as Japanese nationals. Secondary the Japan U s alliance and U.S. forces stationed in Japan are indispensable for both Japan's defense and regional peace and stability. Japan recognizes that securing public understanding is essential for the stable stationing of US Forces and remains committed to mitigating the impact of the bases on local communities. Furthermore, incidents and accidents involving U.S. military personnel cause significant anxiety among local communities and must not occur. To this end, Japan will continue to urge the US forces stationed in Japan to uphold discipline and thoroughly prevent recurrence of accidents. Finally, Japan takes seriously the concerns of residents regarding PFAS and is addressing the issue in cooperation with relevant local government. In accordance with the Statute of Four Seas Agreement, Environment Agreement and other relevant agreements, the Government will continue to ensure effective environment measures both in cities and outside military facilities in Japan. Madam Chair, Japan reaffirms its commitment to achieving a society where the diversity and dignity of all individuals are respected. Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of Japan and I now give the floor to the representative of the DJLI Local Aboriginal Land Council. Today I respect and acknowledge the Lenape people of this land, the Chair and other representatives. My name is Carmel Kapin, a Namble Buntulung woman from Cabbage Tree Island, Australia. I speak today to raise concerns about the health and well being of pregnant Aboriginal women and babies from our community, particularly in the context of ongoing displacement following the 2022 floods. For our people, mothers and babies are central to the struggle, strength and continuation of our culture. There needs to be recognised, respected and supported. Our ancestors gave birth on country, supported by their grandmothers and community. Birth was not only medical event, it was cultural, spiritual and deeply connected to land. Today, many of our women are being displaced from country and required to give birth in clinical hospital settings that do not reflect our cultural practice or support systems. This disconnection from country during such a critical time is deeply harmful. It removes women from their support networks, from cultural guidance, and from the environment that grounds them. At the same time, many of our mothers are facing compounding pressures including homelessness, financial hardship, exposure to alcohol and drugs and the ongoing risk of child removal. These challenges are not isolated, they are interconnected and they place both mother and babies in vulnerable situations, contravening articles 22 and 24 of the declaration. In addition, people have the right to be actively involved in the design and delivery of health programs that affect them without discrimination. These rights are not being fully realised when women are removed from country and placed into systems that do not reflect their cultural needs. We call for integrated support for mothers addressing housing, financial stability and wellbeing to ensure safe and healthy environments for both mothers and babies. We warmly invite the Special Rapporteur to Cabbagetree Island. Thank you. I thank the representative of the Djolli Local Aboriginal Land Council. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam. Madam Chair, my delegation signs the Special Rapporteur for his briefing this morning. We would like to respond to statements made by the so called Kermit Kampuchia Crime Federation during this forum. We reject all claims and requests put forward by this organization. KKF is a foreign based entity that falsely claims to represent Khmer communities in Vietnam. Its assertions are unfounded and cannot be considered representative of the concerned community. In fact, KKF has consistently engage in politically motivated narratives and actions, including calls for the separation of parts of Vietnam's territory with the aim of fueling division and undermining social cohesion both within Vietnam and beyond. Such conducts violate the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence as enshrined in the UN Charter. It is therefore not without reason that its applications for consultative status with ECOSOC have been rejected twice. Madam Chair, we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic groups with no indigenous peoples. These communities have long coexisted in harmony, contributing to a shared national identity grounded in diversity and mutual respect. The protection and promotion of the rights of ethnic minorities is a consistent priority of the State. All citizens are equal before the law. No one is discriminated against, persecuted or detained on the basis of ethnicity or religion. We firmly reject any attempt to distort the situation in Vietnam or to undermine its sovereignty and national unity and reaffirm our commitment to constructive dialogue. I thank you. I thank the representative of Vietnam. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Sami Parliament in Norway. Chair, I give a statement on behalf of the Arctic social culture Region, Inuit and Sami across indigenous peoples lands and territories. The rapid growth of renewable energy and access extractive industries is placing heavy pressure on our rights. While framed as responses to the climate crisis. This project frequently repeat long standing patterns of marginalization and exclusion. In the Arctic, Indigenous peoples culture and traditional way of life are on the growing stains of land use. Conflicts become more frequent and widespread. The combined effect of this pressure leads to higher stress, economic insecurity and worsening health conditions within our communities. Research shows that increased stress, financial hardship and health challenges raise the risk of domestic violence. Indigenous studies on domestic violence and sexual abuse further indicate the loss of land and disruption of traditional ways of life are associated with higher levels of violence and abuse. We must see this as a human rights issue, not just as a social problem. The right to self determination must be core and uphold in any development project. When indigenous peoples are kept out of decisions affecting their lands, territories and resources, when free, prior and informed consent is not implemented and when our governance systems are weakened, the consequences are profound, particularly for women. In our view, consultation cannot replace consent or self determination. Inclusive decision making processes must lead to concrete action. This includes ensuring effective implementation of the rights of Indigenous peoples in national legislation, safeguarding land rights, strengthening Indigenous peoples participation in decision making and integrate gender responsive and culturally informed approaches into policies related to Green Transition. General Recommendation number 39 provides important guidance. It emphasized that State must address this discrimination and violence faced by indigenous women, including those linked to land disposement and extractive activities. In conclusion, we urge that the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Member States to prioritize the implementation of General recommendations number 39 by monitoring how land disbursement from Green Transition projects impacts the safety of indigenous women. We call on the Member States to include these impacts in their periodic reports to see them. The so called Green Transition cannot come at the expense of indigenous girls and women's safety, dignity and human rights. Girdo I thank the representative of the Sami Parliament in Norway and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru. Gracias.

Thank you Madam Chair. Peru welcomes this annual review that has an opportunity to delve into further dialogue around the CEDAW recommendation that has provided visibility and substance to the rights of indigenous women and girls. In this context, Peru highlights the recent adoption of the National Policy for Indigenous and Native People's 2040 that prioritises improving conditions to ensure that the rights of indigenous or native women are safeguarded throughout their entire lives. This policy recognizes the more than 3 million indigenous women registered in our country in the last census. That's 51% of the indigenous population and measures include interdisciplinary care measures that are culturally sensitive for women and members of family groups, members of families who have fallen victim to violence, including the rural care service in healthcare. We are promoting an intercultural approach that includes the knowledge and worldview of of ancestral leaders and also providing technical assistance to update local statutes ensuring the participation of women in line with international standards. To complement this, the Peruvian state is engaging in actions to strengthen the economic autonomy and empowerment of indigenous women and also their political participation, recognising that their presence in decision making is a precondition to eradicating the violence that affects them. Madam Chair, Peru reaffirms its commitment to the building of public policies in partnership with indigenous women and girls as rights holders and agents of sustainable development, and this in line with General Recommendation 39. Before I conclude, I would like to thank two Indigenous sisters for participating and they have referred in this debate to the specific situations we're seeing in Peru. And also there was a statement by the representative of Germany contributing to preventing violence against women in my country. All of these statements will be sent back to the relevant national authorities. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative from Peru. And I now give the floor to the representative from the Land Rights Defenders Incorporated. Is there anyone from the Land Rights Defenders Incorporated? Okay. We're going to continue with the list of indigenous peoples organisations as there are currently no more member states. So I would now like to invite the representative from Yamal Nenets association of Indigenous Peoples of the North.

Distinguished Chair, distinguished members of the UN Mechanism. I represent the Yamapatomkum Association. Yamal Nanette's autonomous district is the autonomous territory of three indigenous peoples. Our peoples are reindeer herders, hunters and fishers. We welcome the report of expert mechanism on rights of indigenous peoples on to traditional livelihoods in Yamal. We maintain the largest herd of domestic northern reindeer in the world. A large portion belongs to private households of nomadic reindeer holders. Their rights are upheld through a system of de facto access to traditional lands. The combined impact of human activities, the Retin's pasture and the viability of reindeer herding the way of life of many indigenous peoples in Russia. At the same time, Yamal demonstrates that thanks to sustainability of our peoples and comprehensive support measures, over 70 years, our domestic northern reindeer herd has increased almost threefold. However, given the reduction in pasture land and difficulty of restoring this land, this growth in the herd risks disrupting the ecosystem. In response to these challenges, there is programmatic aid provided as well as measures being introduced that are economic in nature, such as advanced processing of raw materials and developing a market of access to public procurement. These measures aim to ensure sustainability of reindeer herding as well as to cover traditional livelihoods. We need a balance here between economic efficiency and preserving traditional activities of indigenous peoples. We call on states to develop policies and laws recognizing the traditional livelihoods of Indigenous peoples as an integral part of national economies and a factor contributing to food security. We call for strengthening measures to protect the environment and developing environmental legislation. It's important to expand the practice of including indigenous peoples in oversight over reclamation traditional land. We'd like to emphasize the importance and recommendations of the study of the expert mechanism. Currently we are improving a unified system for collecting and desegregating data on reindeer herders and nomads. And this monitoring system ensures that support measures are well tailored. For example, by providing young families with traditional nomadic housing. We we recommend formalizing the status of nomadic and semi nomadic peoples in national laws and international law as well and strengthening the role of nomadic peoples in decision making when it comes to sustainable use of and conservation of biodiversity and adaptation to climate change. We call it as mechanism to continue to study the position of nomadic and semi nomadic people throughout the world. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Yamo Nenet association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Indigenous Peoples Development Facilitators Forum. Thank you. Chair Distinguished Delegates Indigenous Relatives the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus recognizes the efforts to implement General Recommendation number 39 and would like to propose the following. First, we call on the Member States and all UN agencies to require mining corporations and military bases to be accountable for their personnel and call upon the Human Rights Council to develop a formal advisory opinion on states and and corporations obligations regarding the conduct of their workers. Violence against Indigenous women is frequently perpetrated by men brought into our territories from outside our traditional communities, including workers from mining sites and military bases. Their presence is linked to increases in gender based violence and sexual abuse against Indigenous women and girls. And we call on the forum to hold corporations and institutions responsible for the conduct of of their workers and the crimes they commit. Likewise, our land water defenders are frequently threatened by their state governments and corporations putting their lives at risk. We call on the International Court of Justice and the Human Rights Council to convene a tribunal for women's rights violations with the specific attention to the testimony from Indigenous land and water defenders. We call on Member States to ensure that these corporations conduct meaningful consultations with local Indigenous nations and debt monitoring systems are conducted in collaboration with organizations like philag. When rights violations occur, Indigenous women and girls are often forced to seek justice in court systems that are hostile to our traditional languages, realities and lived experiences. We call upon the Member States to ensure that justice systems provide appropriate, effective and culturally safe access for Indigenous women and girls, while ensuring that justice is accessible in our traditional languages. We also call on the World Health Organization to undertake a study on GBV that disaggregates data by age and ethnicity to expose intersectional health impacts, identify systematic barriers and drive meaningful access to justice. Finally, we call on the World bank to prioritize direct, sustained, transparent funding for Indigenous women's organizations, particularly those that prioritize and advance the education of Indigenous children and those run by rural women who are recognized under CEDAW as making critical contributions to their communities and who require more attention in funding allocations and policy planning. We recognize that Indigenous women and girls are leaders in their own communities but face systematic barriers and lack the resources to make lasting change. I thank the

representative from the Indigenous Peoples Development Facilitators Forum and I give now the floor. Sorry, oh, and I now give the floor to the floor. Member from Ukraine. The statements we hear today show that the criminalization of Indigenous peoples activists and human rights defenders is not going to fade. To the contrary, it is intensifying. Across all regions, laws aimed at ensuring safety and security are being used to target our sisters and brothers for telling the truth and often for mere aspirations and activities aimed at protecting identity, lands and territories, as well as sovereignty. At the same time, I hear many statements underlining the significance of self determination. Next year we'll mark the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and I'd like to remind you that it took us more than 20 years to adopt it, and the main reason for the delay was Article 3, exactly the right to self determination. To be honest, when talking about our right to self determination, I'm disappointed that we have to say and repeat that Indigenous peoples are not the problem but the solution, as if we must apologize for the mere fact of our existence. With this I want to thank all those who, despite intimidation and attempts to silence Indigenous people's voices, continue telling the truth. And here at this session, I thank our elders for making it possible for us to invoke and reference their declaration today, and I hope that one day it will be widely recognized and cited and applied as a part of international customary law. I hope the time will come when states and organizations will not confuse free prior and informed consent with mere consultations and that our self determination, in all its elements, political, social, economic and cultural, will be perceived and interpreted as a normal. So we live in our lands and territories with conditions that will allow us to feel that we are in our homes with no intimidation and interference Self determination as the normal, not as deviation that we have to justify with arguments. Thank you Madam Chair Sarhouns. I thank the

distinguished forum member from the Ukraine. I now give the floor to the representative of Pastaza Kiken Kichua Ryunokuna. Gracias Estima.

Thank you Distinguished chair members of the Permanent forum. I'm Luis Canelos and I'm president of the Quichua nationality of Pastas in Ecuador and I'm also talking in representation of the seven nationalities of Pastasa, Quichua, Sapara, Andua, Shiviar, Achuar, Oran and Shuar of the Ecuadorian Amazon in this province we make up 50% of the nationalities. We have 50% of Ecuador's nationalities in our province. Now on general recommendation 39 we wish to underscore that the rights of indigenous women are also intrinsically linked to the protection of the land. The representative of Ecuador described marvelous Ecuador. However, the reality is very different and I'd like to see that country he's talking about because the Ecuador that I come from in the Amazon region the Ecuadorian government is promoting new oil exploration and mining explanation on our land without our free prior uninformed consent. These oil and mining projects do not bring development. What they bring is conflict, water pollution and food pollution. These projects also have differential impacts on indigenous women. They increase the care burden. They affect their physical and reproductive health. They weaken our indigenous medicine systems and aggravate the situation of violence. They cause militarization, criminalization and persecution of our indigenous defenders. We are calling for full respect of our rights to self determination because this impacts the well being and the health of our women and our children who are carers and transmit our ancestral knowledge and practices. What's more, our self determination must be considered as a way of combating the conflicts imposed by extractivist industries. So in this regard we respectfully request that this permanent forum urge the Ecuadorian state to suspend immediately the Ronda Suoriente and the Ronda Surandina given their continuous violation of the self determination of indigenous peoples and free pro and informed consent and that they declare the indigenous territories zones of exclusion where extractivist activities are not permitted without free prone informed consent and urge Member States the Member States of the United nations to provide redress for the impact and damage caused by the violence including gender based violence caused by fossil fuel extraction to guarantee fully the rights of indigenous people and at the next Santa Marca conference in Colombia to uphold the health and rights of indigenous women. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Festaza Kirkinkichua Runa Kuna and I'd now like to give the floor to the representative of Platforma de Pueblos Indigenous y Afro Descendiantes Inyana.

Senora Presidenta, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Permanent Forum, Brothers and sisters, I'm Becky Macare and I'm taking the floor in order to call out the grave and systemic violation of the rights of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua. In the regions of the northern and southern Caribbean, the Mesquite, Miami and Marama people face a sustained pattern of illegal invasion of settlers in their ancestral lands. These incursions have caused murders, forced displacement, sexual violence and the destruction of their ways of life. In a context of total impunity. The state has not only failed in its obligation to protect them, but has also tolerated in some cases and also sometimes facilitated these violations. Precautionary measures ordered by the Inter American system as well as recommendations from international mechanisms including the Mechanism, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur have not been complied with. None of them have been complied with. There's a policy of repression and closure, shutting down of civic space where indigenous leaders are persecuted, silenced. In this context we launch an urgent appeal for proof of life of Brooklyn Ribera, the indigenous leader who has been forcibly disappeared for several years since she participated in this forum. This is an attack against people defending their land. We call for the immediate freeing of all indigenous people, peoples who are political prisoners who have been detained because they have exercised their right to defend their lands, their autonomy and their self determination. We also urge the Nicaraguan state to comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UNDRIP and ensure effective protection of indigenous land. To implement precautionary measures, to implement international recommendations and to respect free prior and informed consent and and to immediately halt the repression against indigenous leaders. The international community can not remain silent faced with these violations. Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of Platforma de Pueblos Indigenous y affordesindientes Inana and I now give the floor to the representative of TO Kyuki. Green Te na Koto Katoa. My name is Claire Charters. I'm from NGT WH Kauwe of Aotearoa, New Zealand. I speak on behalf of the National Tribal Nations Chairs Forum. The National Tribal Nations Chairs Forum is made up of leaders from over 80 Mori nations who carry mandates from their peoples. We welcome the upcoming official visits of the Special RAPPORTEUR and the Export Expert Mechanism to Aotearoa New Zealand. We have called for the Special Rapporteur's visit for some time and co sponsored the first official visit of the Expert Mechanism as well as the upcoming follow up visit. In the case of the Expert Mechanism, the objective is to examine New Zealand's progress towards developing and implementing a national Plan of action to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of of Indigenous Peoples. New Zealand's current government and the Minister of Foreign affairs specifically has expressly rejected the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In other words, it has made a commitment to not implement the Declaration. It is the Government's well publicised view that indigenous people's rights create inequalities for non indigenous people. Dangerous rhetoric indeed. The Expert Mechanism can use its international authority to challenge the Government's approach. In the case of the Special Rapporteur they can focus also on examples of laws and policies to dismantle Mori rights in Aotearoa New Zealand contrary to the Declaration. I cite three examples. First, as my Whinona has outlined, the current government is reinterpreting the Treaty of Waitangi to undermine Mori's self determination, our rights to our lands, territories and resources and our taonga. It is currently in the process of deleting clauses and legislation requiring respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi or the Treaty of Waitangi. These developments are Contrary to the 2025 recommendations of the UN Committee on Freedom from Racial Discrimination which recommended New Zealand to uphold itself commitment to the treaty as a constitutional framework. Second, the New Zealand Government has passed legislation amending electoral law that its own Attorney General found to be discriminatory against Mori. It will result in fewer Mori being registered to vote. These law changes are a cynical abuse of power and undemocratic. Third, the New Zealand Parliament has overturned decisions of the Supreme Court that provide recognition of our rights. The Siberisho Rapporteur will also have the opportunity to respond to the Deputy Prime Minister who described the work of the Special Rapporteur as an affront to New Zealand's sovereignty and offensive. The Prime Minister described it as bunkan. We look forward to having our experts on our own. Whenua kia kaha I thank the representative of Tauikiuki and I now give the floor to the representative of acsils. Madam Chair and everyone. I am Indigenous Ryukyuan, not a snickery Japanese. It is not an exaggeration to say that in Japan CEDO General Recommendation 39 has not been implemented at all and this is inextricably linked to the lack of case law in Japan where indigenous rights have been successfully argued. Lack of recognition of corrective indigenous rights in Japan will make irregularly impossible to pass meaningful legislation and ally with GR39 and especially recommendations such as 5aa to adopt and effectively implement legislation that's pre prevents, prohibits and response to gender based violence against indigenous women and girls in the Ryukyu Islands. Gender based violence has been perpetuated by US soldiers who are stationed on the islands of Okinawa. And violent crimes in general by American soldiers is currently at the 20 year high. Not only are Ryukyung women attacked, but Ryukyun girls are also assaulted by these servicemen. For example, a USA airman was found guilty of kidnapping and sexual assaulting of a 15 year old girl. Though he was found guilty, he refused to pay the required compensation. More violence and sexual violence crimes are await trial. We need disaggregated data that's disaggregated between Okinawa Prefecture residents and indigenous recurrence. We also need better reporting mechanism where victims feel empowered to to come forward. There remains a culture in Japanese pro science to harshly secretionize victim first. Gender based violence in Ryukyu is already under reported. The solution to better number cannot be discouraging victims from coming forward. So long as there are military bases in the Ryukyu Islands, it will be impossible to enact GR39. CEDAW has the opportunity to invoke CR39 in difference of Ryukyuan women and girls in its periodic reports on Japan from 2024. But in the two reference that's issued the report did not identify Ryukyuans as indigenous. We improve that treaty bodies cross reference each other's work. Seeing as CEDAW has made several recommendations to Japan empiric reports to recognize our indigenity so that this such slip does not happen again. Japan must finally ratify the optional protocol to CEDAW to allow CEDAW inquiry the procedure specifically for the violence against indigenous Ryukyun women. We also renew our request to the representative of Japan to meet us here at the forum. Finally, we asked the Permanent forum to consider the unique situation of the Saudi nations who have additional legal. I thank the representative of ACSILS and I'd like now to give the floor to the representative of Stitching Global Human Rights Defence. Thank you Chair. My name is Dolkun Isa. I represent the Uyghur people. I speak on behalf of the Global Human Rights Defense. Today I will speak on the situation of the Uyghur people in context of the ongoing human rights crisis perpetrated by the People's Republic of China. For decades Uyghur community have been faced severe restriction on cultural religious expression, limitation on the freedom of movement and widespread family separation. The government ops Republic of China is also committing serious human rights violation against Uyghur people, including coercive population control measure, heroism of cultural and linguistic heritage and forced Labor. More than 1 million Uyghurs have been arbitrary detained in concentration camp as a document by UN experts since 2016. The recent adoption adoption of the Ethnic Unity law aimed at assimilation and a single national identity framework. In the context of the situation facing obs Uyghur, there rises serious concern about further restriction on the linguistic, cultural expression and community life. An increasing number of parliament, government and independent body have conclude that the situation facing Uyghur people amount to genocide and crime against humanity. Yet recognized alone is not sufficient in the abstinence of the subsistence. Coordinate and meaningful action Serious violation continue and the risk worsen over time. The international community must move from recognition to accountability. It is also necessity the use of appropriate international legal mechanism to ensure credible accountability for the violation. I therefore urge international community and the Member States to take meaningful action to ensure accountability of independent monitoring and guarantee full access to the region. Thank you. I thank the representative of stitching global human rights defence and I will now give the floor to the distinguished Forum member from Russia. Thank you. Distinguished chair, distinguished colleagues, As a point of order right of reply. We believe it's necessary to reply to the statement that we heard from a government delegation of the Russian Federation which called into doubt the belonging to a certain people through blood as well as way of life. And it was mentioned yesterday by an expert member of the Forum who explained the election of an indigenous person to a second term and said that they were weary of doing so. And this kind of assertion, which is not supported by facts, is unacceptable as part of the work of the United nations and undermines trust in the well established multilateral mechanism. Members of the Forum are selected through established criteria and stand out due to their independent qualities as independent experts. Disputing their competency without any supporting evidence is non constructive criticism and an attempt to discredit the Institute as a whole. I'd like to recall that states that supported the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples are bound to act in good faith and to support the effective work of the mechanism established to support the rights of indigenous peoples. Attempts to undermine the authority of these mechanisms runs counter to the spirit and letter of the adopted obligations. I call on all to refrain from this kind of rhetoric and to return to relevant meaningful discussions based on facts and the mandates agreed upon by all states. To prevent a repetition of the situation, we believe it is important to take a number of practical measures under the mandate of the the Permanent Forum. First of all, it would be helpful to reflect in the outcome recommendations of the forum a provision on the unacceptability of unjustified discrediting of independent experts and a need for respect for their mandates from all parties. Secondly, we propose the secretariat of the Forum examine the possibility of of reminding all of the rules of procedure of the un, including standards on respectful behavior during discussions. Thirdly, we believe it is justified if these incidents recur to use procedural mechanisms, including formal reprimands for for inappropriate statements and if needed, the mission should be asked to provide the relevant evaluations. Fourthly, it's important to strengthen institutional understanding of the role of the forum, including by explaining the mandate of its members and their expert status when making un. When implementing the UN Declaration, these steps are aimed not to limit discussions, but rather to ensure that they are professional and respectful in nature as well as based upon the mandate which is the collective responsibility of all participants. Our voices must be heard on this platform of the Permanent Forum which is established for indigenous peoples. This is law. Thank you. I thank the distinguished forum member from Russia and I now give the floor to the distinguished forum member, Edward Puroka. Thank you, Madam Chair. We welcome the different contributions by the state parties and indigenous people in this agenda item. We I appreciate the contribution of different indigenous people coming here to share their situation and observe their right within the UN framework. They are doing so because this is an opportunity to amplify their voices and the voices of million indigenous people who could not make it here. And it is an opportunity for them also to share their frustration and see how they can be addressed with accountability by the state party. While indigenous people globally share the same situation and marginalization, it is concerning when some state parties do not acknowledge their existence, let alone their recognition. Clear lack of acknowledgement and recognition is expressly mentioned in some of the state here and in different side events that are taking place involving indigenous people. The absence of legal recognition is not merely a legislative gap. It is a structural mechanism through which all other violations are enabled and sustained. Without recognition of indigenous people, it is very difficult for the state parties to respect their collective right. No freemium through courts can provide redress, no basis on which the state require to obtain free prior informed consent and self determination. These elements reveal consistent pattern of unequal Treatment that places indigenous people at structural disadvantage, contributing to erosion of traditional livelihood, reducing access to their basic services and threatening and causing reprisal even when they try to bring up their voice with help for called state parties, UN bodies and the Permanent Forum to adopt concrete measure to eliminate structural discrimination against indigenous peoples in and within the UN system to ensure that indigenous people are speaking freely and that even if they are getting the situation they are getting at home, the UN should become a safe place for indigenous people to talk about their rights. Thank you so much. I thank the distinguished forum member Edward Purokoa. And I now like to live. Like to give the floor to the representative of Organization de los Pueblos Indigenous de la Amazonia Colombiana opec. Buenas air desperatos mi nombre.

Very good afternoon, everyone. I'm an indigenous woman from the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon. Indigenous women play a key role in conflict resolution, in the transmission of collective memory, in defence of territory and the preservation of community fabric. We also play an essential role in care, in the protection of ancestral knowledge and the sustainment of spiritual and community traditions that are important for the for our people. Nevertheless, we suffer differential impacts due to the conflict and structural barriers that restrict are full, effective, inclusive and gender responsive participation in decision making and in processes for justice and reparations. The armed conflict has affected indigenous women disproportionately with patterns of multiple, accumulative and simultaneous violence, such as the violation of the collective rights of our peoples. Forced displacement is one of the most significant things that affect indigenous women in their collective and family lives. Also violation of sacred sites, forced displacement takes women away from these. And we also are seeing direct impacts on the spiritual roles that women play in their communities. There's also a profound impact on on quality of life when indigenous women are displaced or when their land and access to them are restricted. This does not only have material and political impacts, but also it deteriorates the comprehensive health of our communities as a whole. Now, the response must not be measured, limited to general measures. It must adopt a gender approach to take account of the differential impact suffered by indigenous women and to take account of the role that they play in the protection of our territories. Now, respectfully, we would request that the Permanent forum recommend the international financial systems, including the Fund for the Environment, the establishment of direct financing mechanisms for indigenous peoples, in particular for indigenous women. This was already considered, for example, in the COP 16 in Cali on biodiversity and should be replicated. There will be a decision in June next year on the Fund for the Environment. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Organization de los Pueblos Indigenas de la Amazonia Colombiana. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China.

Madam Chair. There are no indigenous people in China. And people of all ethnicities have through time honored exchanges and integration jointly built a united and multi ethnic country in the 56 ethnicities, including the Uyghurs are all equal members of the big family of the Chinese nation. Issues related to Xinjiang are by no means human rights issues or indigenous issues. For a long time now, Xinjiang has enjoyed sustained and sound economic development, social harmony and stability, protection and promotion of cultural traditions and guaranteed rights, including the rights to freedom of religion and belief and substantially improved living standards. Winning the heartfelt support from the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang and clear for the international community to see sea certain anti China and separatist elements are hyping up the genocide and forced labor such lies to realize their hidden political aims.

Over the past six decades, the population

in Xinjiang has grown fourfold and the population of Uyghurs has grown from 2.2 million to 12 million. And and saying that there is genocide in Xinjiang, it is out and out lie. In recent years at the third committee over nearly 100 countries supported China's Xinjiang policy. And more visionary people have made their rational and objective voices heard. At the UN platform.

China has reason to believe that the

speaker Doli Kun making wanton remarks on Xinjiang. He's not really a self professed NGO

representative, but a terrorist identified by China,

undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He abused the venue of the UN to cook up lies regarding to Xinjiang, to smear China's ethnic, ethnic and religious policies, packaging himself as a victim once again exposing his ill intentions to separate

the country and to sow chaos. We hope that all parties would see

his true face and we hope that

the Chair would verify the status of

the speaker and deny the access to

effectively uphold the relevant rules and the

role and authority of this forum. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of China. And I now give the floor to the representative of the International Indian Treaty Council.

We thank the UN Special Rapporteur, the MRIP and also this forum for your continued recognition through joint statements and reports of the negative impacts of conflating indigenous peoples with other entities, including the undefined group referred to as local communities. Special rapporteur Albert Barume's 2025 study on the recognition of indigenous peoples underscores the negative effect of conflating indigenous peoples with local communities. It notes quote increasing practice, particularly among actors working on issues pertaining to climate change and biodiversity conservation, of conflating indigenous peoples with local communities, including merging the two concepts through the abbreviation iplc. The report states, this conflation has led to a fundamental misconception that the rights of indigenous people, peoples and those of local communities are the same and are grounded in the same international instruments. It mentions that one recent publication asserted that IPLC rights were guaranteed by the Declaration and the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention number 169, as if indigenous peoples and local communities have become one homogenous group of rights holders. This assertion is totally incorrect. It continues, the term local communities and IPLC is neither referred to nor protected in the Declaration or the ILO Convention. The report concludes that this conflation poses serious risks to the rights of Indigenous peoples as previously stated by the three United nations mechanisms on Indigenous peoples. The iitc, with affiliates from five regions, actively participates in UN processes addressing biodiversity, climate change, plastics, environmental toxics and food security, among others. We are seeing this conflation taking hold in these processes which should be affirming the rights of indigenous peoples, not undermining them. We thank the Special Rapporteur, the AMRIP and and this permanent forum for continuing to call for deconflation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in all UN bodies as part of your vital work to affirm the distinct, internationally recognized collective rights of Indigenous peoples. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the International Indian Treaty Council and I now give the floor to the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. Thank you.

Madam Chair, we'd like to congratulate you on your appointment to the forum and we look forward to working with you in Australia. My name is Ann Dennis. I'm a Councillor with the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council and we are representing 121 local Aboriginal land Council across New South Wales, Australia. We respectfully recommend that the permanent forum 1. Call upon the government of Australia and New South Wales to withdraw the Crown Lands Management Amendment Bill 2026 and ensure that reforms to Crown Lands Management respect Aboriginal land rights and international human rights standards. 2. Encourage states to implement land rights, the Land Rights framework, in a timely and effective manner, recognising the disproportionate impacts that delays in land restitution have on indigenous women and girls. 3. Encourage Australia to consider ratifying ILO conventions number 169 strengthening the international protection of Indigenous people's rights to lands, territories and resources. Madam Chair, we welcome the focus on General Recommendation number 39 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which recognises the Indigenous women and girl experience intersecting forms of discrimination rooted in colonisation, dispossession and the denial of self determination. The recommendation affirms the rights of Indigenous women. Women are inseparable from the rights of Indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources and calls on States to ensure their full participation and free prior and informed consent in decisions affecting those lands. The gap between international commitments and domestic implementation remains significant. During Australia's Universal Periodic Review earlier this year, the Government highlighted its commitment to advancing the rights of Indigenous people. Yet Australia has not ratified ILO Convention number 169, one of the key international instruments in recognising Indigenous peoples collective rights to lands, territories and resources. At the same time, the Crown Lands Management Amendment Bill 2026 risks further access to lands that may otherwise be claimable under the Aboriginal land rights framework. In the context of the general recommendation 39 this raises serious concerns. This is not only a land issue, it is a gender equality issue and human rights issues. We therefore encourage the Special Rapporteur and EMORY to continue centering Indigenous women and girls in their work and to support stronger accountability for the implementation of these standards. I'd like to thank the representative from the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council and I'd now like to give the floor to the distinguished Forum Member Jennifer Taule Kopos. Thank you Chair.

I would like to appreciate the active participation of Indigenous organizations who have traveled so far and under extremely uncertain circumstances to be here and to present their concerns. I would also like to thank Member States who have interacted in a lively and constructive manner with the Forum members and the Indigenous representatives present here. I further thank the Member States for their presenting the initiatives they have undertaken towards fulfillment of the human rights of their citizens, including under GR39. As the indigenous nominated member of the Permanent Forum from Asia, I would like to address a few of the matters that have been said on the floor. While I come from the Philippines which has a strong Indigenous people's rights law, most of the countries in Asia region do not have laws recognizing indigenous peoples identities and rights. However, this does not mean that indigenous peoples do not exist. Indigenous peoples predate the establishment of states and their existence and rights likewise are not dependent on recognition by Governments. Their individual and collective rights are inherent. Like in Africa, indigeneity in Asia is not equivalent to aboriginality. Rather it follows the working definition developed in the United nations where self ascription is the primary criterion. Of course there are objective criteria that also exist which those who have spoken here clearly believe that they possess. I urge the government in Asia to acknowledge the self prescription by indigenous peoples and refer back to the UN working definition as well as the definition in ILO 169 and work towards a constructive solution on this matter. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished forum member Jennifer Tali Kopus and I now give the floor to the representative of of the Inter Regional Public Organization Union of Indigenous Small Numbered Peoples Soyuz or S O Y U Z. Thank you. Griffin was cut off at the beginning for the speaker. The interpreter could not hear the entire statement. Okay, I don't think this representative is in the room, so I'll just move on down the list. I'd now like to give the floor to the representative of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact.

Thank you Chair. My name is Rina Matayoshi from Yukio Kinawa and I'm speaking on behalf of Asia Indigenous People Caucasus the Annual Review of Progress in implementation of General Recommendation number 39 highlights both its significant and ongoing challenges limits advocacy tool for Indigenous women and girls while GR39 represent major achievement of recognition, accountability and action, its impact depends on sustained organizing, learning and strategic engagement at local, national and international level. Over the past five years it has contributed to increased confidence and solidarity among indigenous women, particularly in Asia where collective effort has strengthened rights awareness and engagement with the policymaker. However, significant barrier remain including limited awareness among state institution, structural inequality and marginalization of indigenous women within both women's rights and indigenous spaces across Asia. Although some government has adopted general framework to protect women, children and people with a disability, indigenous specific protection remain limited. Indigenous women and girls continue to face intersecting form of discrimination and violence. In Bangladesh, the continued non implementation of Chittagon Hill tract accord of 1997 has resulted to de facto militarized situation marked by repressed and serious human rights violation. In Japan, the lack of comprehensive measure to address violence against indigenous women and girls by the US military, particularly in Okinawa, persists despite international recommendations. Our recommendations strengthen GR39 implementation through policy, funding and accountability mechanism Promote sustained capacity building through continued organizing, learning and leadership development of indigenous women at all levels. Increase awareness among state institutions by building capacity on Cedar and GR39 for Policymaker, Women's commission and relevant authorities. Ensure meaningful participation of indigenous women, including indigenous women with a disability in in decision making at all level Strengthen indigenous specific protection through law policy aligned with UNDRIP, Cedar, Dr. 39 and SDGs address violence and structural inequality through targeted measures to prevent gender based and conflict related violence and arbitrary detention and harassment and ensure access to justice for indigenous women and girls. Girls it benefit Evita. I'd like to thank the representative.

From the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. And I now give the floor to the Assemblia Nacional Ecuador. Distinguished chair of the forum. Ladies and gentlemen, delegates of all nations and nationalities. I'm Alex Duapento, a member of parliament in Ecuador. I have the honor of speaking before you, but I am concerned to see how the report of the representatives of governments include a country that is not Ecuador. One has the impression that the peoples, indigenous peoples already have won the most of their rights when actually they don't have the right either to health care, education or let alone land without minding its direction itself, etc. And they don't have access to free and informed consent on certain territories. The sad reality of education and the collapse of hospitals, the collapse of security means that indigenous peoples increasingly are no longer protected by the Ecuadorian state. Ecuador has launched a bilingual education program. Program systematically weakened by a central management that does not take into account territorial specificities. Our national average of time of age for school children is 9 to 12. And we call on improve. Call for improved management of the education system for indigenous peoples. We must guarantee that the state budget covers necessary infrastructure in rural areas where the digital gap is 70% in the most remote regions. Education must be a factor in self determination and not a tool for cultural assimilation. We must also address the public health crisis, focusing on human rights in provinces like Tokopaxi where chronic child malnutrition exceeds 35% in some regions and that's much higher than the national average. And this clearly shows the inequality in our country, especially when it comes to indigenous peoples. We call on the public health budget to include a budget for traditional medicine which is often marginalized in medical practice. We must protect the health of our peoples who depend on the integrity of ecosystems and on seizing extractive activities. That is the only way to guarantee the 21 collective rights that belong to indigenous peoples. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Assemblia Nacional Ecuador. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade. This is Judy Wilson. I'm part of the member of that. I'm going to turn my time over to Gina edwards from the B.C. native Women's Association. The MIC next to me needs to be turned on. Sorry, we're going to have to just hold on for one moment. Yeah, They've done it before. Okay, apologies for the delay. We just needed to clarify. Please, please continue and please clearly state who you are.

I acknowledge the Lenape people whose traditional territory we're on. Thank you Madam Chair. British Columbia is unique as we're the only province in Canada to adopt a declaration Rights of Indigenous People into provincial law. In 2019, BC's commitment to align its law with the United States Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People was a step in the right direction for equality and recognizing our birthrights as the first people of the land as we existed since time immemorial. As provincial legislation is established for established a framework for reconciliation aiming to uphold Indigenous rights, title and self determination, its importance is a minimum human rights framework for all indigenous people. The B.C. provincial act requires the government to work in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples to develop an action plan. Yesterday, B.C. premier announced the Government's reversal on suspension, meaning the Premier backed down from the plan to unilaterally suspend key parts of the DRIPA legislation in the spring legislation session following mounting pressure and formal outcry from the First Nations Leadership Council. Our health and well being and rights as Indigenous people are being affected especially for our children and future generations. In honoring my late Papa, Grand Chief Victor Adolph Sr. And late Grand Chief George Manuel Senior who originally spoke in Geneva at the United nations in 1970, I would like to acknowledge Chief Manuel's niece who's sitting beside me, Knowledge Keeper Elder Judy Wilson. I would like to share our inherent title and rights, laws and sovereignty. The Declaration of the lillewit tribe written May 10, 1912 which my great great grandfather Chief Thomas Adolf signed, to whom it may concern what we, the underwritten chiefs of the Lulwit declare the following we speak the truth and we speak for our whole tribe. We claim that we are the rightful owners of our tribal territory and everything pertaining thereto. We have always lived in our country and at no time have we ever deserted it or left it to others. We have retained it from the invasion of other tribes at the cost of our blood. We are aware the BC Government claims our country like other territories in bc. We deny their right to it. We never gave it nor sold it to them in part of our inherent rights. We support Sharon MacGyver at the S2 National Working Group urging the Government of Canada to accept the Senate of Canada's amendments to Bill S2 to ensure.

I thank the representative of the Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade and I now give the floor to the representative of the Nation of Hawaii,

Aloha Maikakou,

Madam Chair and all delegations.

I'd like to begin by sharing an

important Hawaiian proverb, Ola I kawai water

is life and the health and well

being of all living things is intrinsically tied to the health of our natural water systems. As indigenous peoples, we all understand that from the watersheds to the estuaries and everything is connected.

Yet for generations, extractive industries and colonial

greed have been diverting the freshwater streams

all across the Hawaiian Islands. Lush green golf courses and resort swimming pools can be found just five minutes from our local neighborhoods who are living in a dry tinder box and put on drought restrictions.

It is this same system that has been stealing our waters for over a century that caused one of the deadliest wildfires in modern history, which killed over

100 people, destroyed over 2,200 structures and

displaced thousands of us.

My pregnant wife, son and I were

forced to flee from the flames as the town my ancestors have called home

for centuries was burned to the ground.

Today, around 55% of our native Hawaiian people live in diaspora, separated from the mountains, sands and waters that we are

deeply connected to, displaced from our homeland

and unable to return due to this

manufactured drought and debilitating cost of living.

This is the direct result of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by

the United States of America who issued

an apology in the form of Public

Law 103 150, which affirms that the

long range economic and social changes in Hawaii over the 19th and early 20th centuries have been devastating to the population

and to the health and well being

of the Native Hawaiians.

The fire in Lahaina was not a natural disaster.

It was the inevitable result of dismantling the highly organized, self sufficient communal and

land water systems that this apology law acknowledges that we once flourished under. We humbly recommend that the Permanent Forum. The United nations and member States recognize

water diversion in Hawaii as a violation of the human right to health and

water support the upholding of the Hawaii

State Water Code and call for a

human rights impact assessment specifically focused on water equity in Hawaii.

We also urge coordination between the special

rapporteurs to conduct a joint mission to Hawaii to witness the front line of indigenous displacement firsthand.

The most frustrating part about all of this is that we know if we had the free prior and informed consent to manage our lands, waters and resources,

then our home would be flourishing right now.

Another Hawaiian proverb is I ku waama

mua iku wamaa hope the answers to creating a better future can be found in our past.

We don't need AI artificial intelligence to solve our problems.

We need AI ancestral intelligence.

Indigenous wisdom knows how to manage this planet best and the way we save this planet is by standing in solidarity

as a global indigenous community and enlightening

the rest of the world to this

truth that is inherent to all of us.

I think the representative. Representative of the nation of Hawaii. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Congress, Mondial Amazigh, cma.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and hello, everyone. My name is. I represent the Congreve Mondial Amazique, which defends the rights of the Amazigh people throughout North Africa, representing about 30 million people. I'd like to draw your attention to the dramatic situation involving the Amazigh women, especially those that are facing the conflicts taking place on their territory. For example, the Kel Tamashek women and girls, or Tuareg women and girls, in the territory of Azawada, the natural north of Mali. They're not only deprived of access to sanitation, they also are often victims of serious recurrent violence and even massacres in their villages and their camps. While the perpetrators enjoy complete impunity, others survive, have been surviving for years in refugee camps in the east of Mauritania or the northwest of Niger. And we do not have the right to remain silent or to do nothing in the face of this actual genocide taking place. Discrimination, relegation and violence against Amazigh women are problems directly linked to the seizure of their lands and territories by states, the pillaging of their natural resources, and forced assimilation processes. And when they protest, repression is immediate and vicious. It's especially the case in Algeria. Currently, hundreds of Amazigh people, especially Kabil people, especially women, are arbitrarily imprisoned. Dozens have been condemned to death simply because they were protesting for their rights. I would like us to all join our voices to call for their release, their immediate release. At the opening of this session. I was pleasantly surprised. I deeply appreciated the brave and encouraging remarks of the President of the General assembly of the un. She said to the indigenous peoples, despite the threats you're facing, stay on your feet. Message received. Madam President, you can count on us to stay on our feet. But we ask the UN to support us just as firmly to stand by our side. Thank you.

I thank the representative from the Congress, Mondial Amazi. And I now give the floor to the public organization of the Murmansk Region association of the Kolasami.

Chair, thank you very much for giving me the floor this morning. I already made a statement, and I hope it would be fair if any of my brothers and sisters and other NGOs would like to take the floor now.

Okay, thank you. So we will now give the floor to the Crimean Tata Resource Centre. The representative from the Crimean Tata Resource Centre. Okay, I take it that that person or persons are not in the room. I now give the floor to. Apologies, there's a lot going on. We'd like to give the floor to the representative from the CHT Indigenous People Council of Canada.

Honorable Chairperson, distinguished delegates, thank you for the floor. In the Chittagong Hill Track, CHT Juma women and children wake up each day not knowing if they will survive the next assault. The promises of self determination, land ownership and cultural preservation made in the 1997 CHT accord have been shattered leaving them to face daily violence and dispossession. In 2025, 26 violent incidents, rape, abduction and murder. A 12 year old girl was gang raped in Kagurchari. And when the Juma community protested, their homes were all burned. On May 5, 2025, a Khayyang housewife was raped and murdered by Bengali laborers. Yet no accountability has been taken. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of ongoing pattern. Juma women and children continue to face impunity, violence and displacement. Despite the UNDRIP and CEDAW General Recommendation 39, these rights are still ignored. How long will this continue? How many more women and children must endure these horrors without protection and accountability? We, the Juma people have been waiting for change. Waiting for the CHT Accords protection promises to be honored. We cannot afford to keep repeating the cycle asking for the same things year after year. Protection, justice and change with no real progress. I call on this forum to first, strengthen the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate to investigate gender based violence in the CHC region, ensuring real time fact finding and accountability. Second, establish an independent international body to monitor ongoing violence and to ensure justice for Juma women and children. Third, mobilize international pressure through NGOs and human rights organization to hold Bangladesh accountable for its failure to protect Juma women and children and implement the CHT accord. Fourth, ensure protection and support for human rights defenders, especially women advocates who risk their lives for justice in the CHT regions. And fifth, implement comprehensive support programs for survivor of sexual violence including medical care, psychosocial support and legal assistance to help them rebuild their lives. This is not just a matter of policy. It is a moral obligation. For the Juma people, the promise remains another year of broken vows. Without action, without more women and youth will perish and more communities will be lost. Thank you.

Thank you to the representative from the CHT Indigenous Peoples Council of Canada. I'd now like to give the floor to the representative from the Indian Law Resource Centre.

Regards to everyone present. Distinguished Chair, distinguished members of the Bureau, Brothers and sisters, Before I begin, I wish to thank all of those who made it possible today for us to speak at this forum, especially my grandmother and my father. May they rest in peace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Commercial pressure exercised by Argentina, Brazil and Chile for the extraction of lithium for the green energy transition has had negative impacts on the indigenous people present from the Triangle of Lithium. They fragment our communities and cancel out our culture. These effects are being exacerbated due to state abandonment of their basic and international responsibilities, such as providing drinking water, comprehensive education with an indigenous approach that does not foster the abandonment of our routes and also the provision of health care services forcing us to travel to large cities to seek medical care as expressed in Articles 10, 14 and 21 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Peoples. As the Governor of Canada said in the inauguration, the lasting change does not only come from investment in drinking water, food security or sending professionals for health systems. Change begins when support comes through culture and belonging and this requires adequate infrastructure. Having said this, I request that this forum express its concern over the impact that the energy transition is having on indigenous territories from the so called Lithium Triangle and we urge the governments of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile to submit reports that verify the compliance with international agreements that have recognized this. I also request the forum to recommend the establishment of verification and accountability mechanisms with full and effective participation from indigenous peoples in order to ensure that the energy transition does not turn into a new way of violating rights in the name of sustainable development. By way of conclusion, I ask you to request to take account of these requests so that people like my grandmother don't have to abandon their roots due to state abandonment. The energy transition should not be paid for by indigenous peoples. Thank you very much.

I thank the representative of the Indian Law Resource Centre and I now give the floor to the Coptic Solidarity Assyrian Aid Society.

Distinguished Chair, Delegates and colleagues, I speak on behalf of Coptic Solidarity and as a son of the Coptic community, an ethno religious indigenous community that constitutes 12 to 15% of Egypt's population. First, in response to to a Member States previous statement rejecting Coptic indigeneity in Egypt's land I would like to echo the special Rapporteur on Indigenous issues report from last year. The rights of indigenous peoples are binding on states regardless of recognition in domestic laws. Refusal by a state to recognize indigenous peoples does not diminish the rights held by indigenous people. In the last year alone, the Coptic people have faced increasing discrimination and violence against their individual members and institutions, both by state and non state actors. Coptic Solidarity has reported that as the state politicizes religious affairs and fails to recognize and protect Copts, three central patterns of anti Coptic hostilities have emerged, which are arbitrary detentions based on religious identity and expression, the forced disappearance of Coptic women and underage girls and discriminatory actions and confiscations of Coptic religious and cultural heritage. State authorities have targeted Coptic and Christian heritage sites and institutions by using courts to confiscate historic and agricultural land plots and deploying security forces to quash any dissent. This growing pattern began with land grabs at St. Catherine's Monastery, a World Heritage Site site, and has since extended to include a church wall in Cairo and even a monastery's farmland in Fayum. These actions are a clear violation of Copts right to self determination of their own lands and property. Anti Coptic hostilities have impacted our people

as individuals as well.

State authorities have increasingly weaponized blasphemy and terrorism charges against Copts and other groups to repress our identity. For instance, state authorities have detained and sentenced Dr. Augustinus Samael, a Coptic human rights defender, to five years in prison. He was tried and sentenced with no notification to his family or lawyer. As Coptic people continue to suffer from discrimination and violence on their own lands and bodies, we urged this body and the UN system to elevate groups like the Coptic people whose indigeneity are categorically rejected by their state governments. We also demand the immediate release of victims of arbitrary detention and respect of our lands and properties. Thank you.

I thank the representative of the Coptic Solidarity Assyrian Aid Society. We have exhausted the time allocated to this meeting and heard the last speaker in the general discussion on this item. I thank all speakers for their active participation. I also apologise to those that we could not hear due to the time constraints. We will meet again Tomorrow morning at 10:00am in this conference room to commence our consideration of agenda item 5 a entitled Dialogue with Indigenous Peoples. Please note that this is a closed meeting of the forum members with representatives of indigenous peoples organisations only. Exclusively, this meeting is not open to other participants. Further, I would like to draw the attention to the informal consultations on possible further measures necessary to enhance participation of indigenous peoples representatives and institutions in relevant United nations meetings on issues affecting them. Tomorrow afternoon, Thursday 23rd April at 3pm in this conference room to which the co facilitators have invited representatives of indigenous peoples organisations and Member States. The meeting provides an opportunity for Member States and indigenous peoples representatives and institutions to exchange views on further possible measures. If you could possibly keep it quieter a bit so we can finish please, so people can hear. Thank you. I would like to remind representatives of Indigenous peoples organisations that their online register registration for the discussion with a pre established list of speakers for agenda item 4 on Friday 24th April will be open tomorrow morning Thursday morning 23rd April from 9 to 11am Further I would like to draw the attention to a meeting that is not part of the work of the forum but covers a related topic. The General assembly of the United nations has mandated informal consultations on possible further measures necessary to enhance participation of indigenous peoples representatives and institutions in relevant United nations meetings on issues affecting them. The first consultation on this topic to which the co facilitators have invited representatives of indigenous peoples organisations and Member States will take place Tomorrow afternoon, Thursday 23rd April at 3pm in this conference room. This meeting is adjourned.