A/RES/80/191 GA
Rights of indigenous peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
80
Session
166
Yes
3
No
8
Abstentions
| Draft symbol | A/C.3/80/L.17 |
|---|---|
| Adopted symbol | A/RES/80/191 |
| Category | POPULATION |
| P5 Positions |
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| UN Document | A/RES/80/191 ↗ |
Vote Recorded Vote — A/80/PV.62
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Albania
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Algeria
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Andorra
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Angola
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Antigua and Barbuda
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Armenia
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Australia
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Austria
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Azerbaijan
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Bahamas
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Bahrain
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Bangladesh
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Barbados
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Belarus
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Belgium
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Belize
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Bhutan
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Botswana
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Brazil
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Brunei Darussalam
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Burundi
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Cabo Verde
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Cambodia
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Canada
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Central African Republic
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Chad
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Chile
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China
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Colombia
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Comoros
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Congo
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Costa Rica
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Côte d'Ivoire
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Croatia
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Cuba
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Cyprus
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Czechia
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Democratic People's Republic of Korea
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Denmark
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Djibouti
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Dominica
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Dominican Republic
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Ecuador
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Egypt
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El Salvador
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Equatorial Guinea
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Eritrea
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Estonia
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Eswatini
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Fiji
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Finland
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Gabon
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Gambia
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Georgia
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Germany
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Ghana
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Greece
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Grenada
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Guatemala
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Guinea
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Guinea-Bissau
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Guyana
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Haiti
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Honduras
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Hungary
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Iceland
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India
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Indonesia
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Islamic Republic of Iran
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Iraq
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Ireland
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Italy
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Jamaica
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Japan
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Jordan
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Kazakhstan
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Kenya
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Kuwait
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Kyrgyzstan
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Latvia
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Lebanon
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Lesotho
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Liberia
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Libya
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Liechtenstein
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Lithuania
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Luxembourg
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Malawi
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Malaysia
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Maldives
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Malta
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Marshall Islands
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Mauritania
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Mauritius
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Mexico
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Micronesia (Federated States of)
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Monaco
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Mongolia
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Montenegro
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Morocco
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Mozambique
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Myanmar
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Namibia
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Nepal
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Netherlands
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New Zealand
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Nicaragua
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North Macedonia
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Norway
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Palau
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Panama
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Papua New Guinea
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Paraguay
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Peru
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Philippines
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Poland
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Portugal
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Qatar
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Republic of Korea
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Moldova
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Russian Federation
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Rwanda
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Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Saint Lucia
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Samoa
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San Marino
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Saudi Arabia
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Senegal
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Serbia
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Seychelles
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Sierra Leone
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Singapore
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Slovenia
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Solomon Islands
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South Africa
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South Sudan
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Spain
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Sri Lanka
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Sudan
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Suriname
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Sweden
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Switzerland
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Tajikistan
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Thailand
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Timor-Leste
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Togo
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Tonga
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Trinidad and Tobago
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Tunisia
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Türkiye
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Turkmenistan
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Tuvalu
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Uganda
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Ukraine
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United Arab Emirates
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Uruguay
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Uzbekistan
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Vanuatu
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Viet Nam
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Yemen
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Zambia
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Zimbabwe
Full text of resolution
United Nations
A/RES/80/191
General Assembly
Distr.: General
19 December 2025
25-20889 (E)
*2520889*
Eightieth session
Agenda item 68 (a)
Rights of Indigenous Peoples: rights of Indigenous Peoples
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 15 December 2025
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/80/545, para. 5)]
80/191. Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the United
Nations,
Recalling all relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the Human Rights
Council and the Economic and Social Council relating to the rights of Indigenous
Peoples, reaffirming its resolutions 65/198 of 21 December 2010, 66/142 of
19 December 2011, 67/153 of 20 December 2012, 68/149 of 18 December 2013, 69/2
of 22 September 2014, 69/159 of 18 December 2014, 70/232 of 23 December 2015,
71/178 of 19 December 2016, 71/321 of 8 September 2017, 72/155 of 19 December
2017, 72/247 of 24 December 2017, 73/156 of 17 December 2018, 74/135 of
18 December 2019, 75/168 of 16 December 2020, 76/148 of 16 December 2021,
77/203 of 15 of December of 2022 and 78/189 of 19 December 2023, 79/159 of
17 December 2024, and 79/315 of 30 June 2025, and recalling Human Rights Council
resolutions 27/13 of 25 September 2014,1 30/4 of 1 October 2015,2 33/12 and 33/13
of 29 September 2016,3 36/14 of 28 September 2017,4 39/13 of 28 September 2018,5
42/19 of 26 September 2019,6 45/12 of 6 October 2020,7 48/11 of 8 October 2021,8
_______________
1 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 53A and
corrigenda (A/69/53/Add.1, A/69/53/Add.1/Corr.1 and A/69/53/Add.1/Corr.2), chap. IV, sect. A.
2 Ibid., Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/70/53/Add.1), chap. III.
3 Ibid., Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 53A and corrigendum (A/71/53/Add.1 and
A/71/53/Add.1/Corr.1), chap. II.
4 Ibid., Seventy-second Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/72/53/Add.1), chap. III.
5 Ibid., Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/73/53/Add.1), chap. II.
6 Ibid., Seventy-fourth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/74/53/Add.1), chap. III.
7 Ibid., Seventy-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/75/53/Add.1), chap. III.
8 Ibid., Seventy-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/76/53/Add.1), chap. IV, sect. A.
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51/18 of 6 October 2022, 9 54/12 of 11 October 2023 10 and 57/15 of 10 October
2024,11 and 60/13 of 6 October 2025,
Reaffirming the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples,12 which addresses the individual and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples
and has positively influenced the drafting of several constitutions and statutes at the
national and local levels and contributed to the progressive development of
international and national legal frameworks and policies,
Recalling the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the
General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held in
New York on 22 and 23 September 2014,13 in which Heads of State and Government,
ministers and representatives of Member States reiterated the important and
continuing role of the United Nations in promoting and protecting the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, recalling also the inclusive preparatory process for the high-level
plenary meeting, including the comprehensive engagement of the representatives of
Indigenous Peoples, and welcoming and reaffirming the commitments, measures and
efforts undertaken by States, the United Nations system, Indigenous Peoples and other
actors in its implementation,
Encouraging the active engagement of Indigenous Peoples in the
implementation of the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the
General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, including
at the regional and global levels, and inviting the General Assembly to consider
holding a follow-up World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to enable follow-up on
the implementation of the outcome document,
Recalling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 14 and stressing the
need to ensure that no one is left behind and to endeavour to reach the furthest behind
first, in particular Indigenous Peoples, who should participate in, contribute to and
benefit without discrimination from the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and
encouraging Member States to give due consideration to all the rights of Indigenous
Peoples while implementing the 2030 Agenda,
Stressing the importance of promoting and pursuing the objectives of the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples also through international
cooperation to support national and regional efforts and instruments to achieve the
ends of the Declaration, including the right to maintain and strengthen the distinct
political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions of Indigenous Peoples and
the right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and
cultural life of the State,
Taking note of the references to Indigenous Peoples in the Pact for the Future,
the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, 15
Noting the need to recognize, respect, promote and protect the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, their territories, lands and ecosystems, while safeguarding their
traditions, spiritual beliefs and ancestral knowledge, strengthen their distinct political,
legal, economic social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to
participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life
of the State, and ensure their right to participation in decision-making in matters that
_______________
9 Ibid., Seventy-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/77/53/Add.1), chap. III, sect. A.
10 Ibid., Seventy-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/78/53/Add.1), chap. III, sect. A.
11 Ibid., Seventy-ninth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/79/53/Add.1), chap. II.
12 Resolution 61/295, annex.
13 Resolution 69/2.
14 Resolution 70/1.
15 Resolution 79/1.
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would affect their rights, as determined by law and in accordance with international
human rights obligations,
Reiterating that the coronavirus disease (COVID‑19) pandemic was one of the
greatest global challenges, and recognizing that, although its acute phase has ended,
its consequences continue to affect Indigenous Peoples, especially women and girls,
particularly in their health, well-being, livelihoods, food security, economies, trade,
education and full enjoyment of human rights, with disproportionate impacts on the
poor and those in vulnerable situations,
Recognizing the need for science, technology and innovation to be adapted and
made relevant to Indigenous Peoples, in line with the principle of free, prior and
informed consent, fostering synergies between science and technology and
Indigenous knowledge, systems, practices and capacities,
Expressing deep concern about the rise in discrimination, hate speech,
stigmatization, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,
including against Indigenous Peoples, and highlighting the urgent need to counter
such conduct in accordance with international human rights law,
Condemning the cases of threats, harassment, reprisals and murder of
Indigenous Peoples, in particular women and girls, and persons with disabilities, often
with impunity, as well as land invasions, arbitrary forced evictions and other abusive
practices,
Condemning also the increase of cases of intimidation, harassment and reprisals
against Indigenous human rights defenders and Indigenous leaders, including
Indigenous women, as well as Indigenous Peoples’ representatives attending United
Nations meetings and United Nations mandate holders working on the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, and expressing its concern at the practice of some countries,
including those hosting meetings on Indigenous issues, of intentionally or in a
discriminatory manner delaying or denying entry visas to United Nations mandate
holders or Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, or applying additional travel
restrictions to them that interfere, inter alia, with their ability to participate in or return
from such meetings,
Bearing in mind the policy instruments in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly
and Regular Migration16 for Member States to draw on, including to respond to the
needs of migrants who face situations of vulnerability, including Indigenous Peoples,
Noting the importance to Indigenous women and girls of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Indigenous and Tribal
Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), of the International Labour Organization,17
Recalling the agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session of the Commission
on the Status of Women,18 in which Governments at all levels and as appropriate, with
the relevant entities of the United Nations system and international and regional
organizations, within their respective mandates and bearing in mind national
priorities, were urged to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous women and
girls, including those living in rural and remote areas, by addressing the multiple and
intersecting forms of discrimination and barriers that they face, including violence,
ensuring access to quality and inclusive education, healthcare, public services,
economic resources, including land and natural resources, and women’s access to
decent work, and promoting their meaningful participation in the economy and in
_______________
16 Resolution 73/195, annex.
17 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1650, No. 28383.
18 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2019, Supplement No. 7 (E/2019/27),
chap. I, sect. A.
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decision-making processes at all levels and in all areas, while respecting and
protecting their traditional and ancestral knowledge, recognizing that Indigenous
women and girls, including those living in rural and remote areas, regardless of age,
often face violence and higher rates of poverty, limited access to healthcare services,
information and communications technologies, infrastructure, financial services,
education and employment, while recognizing also their cultural, social, economic,
political and environmental contributions, including to climate change mitigation and
adaptation,
Recognizing that violence against Indigenous women and girls, online and
offline, has a negative impact on their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms and constitutes a major impediment to Indigenous women’s full, equal,
meaningful and effective participation in society, the economy and political decision-
making, and in this regard recalling Human Rights Council resolution 32/19 of 1 July
2016, entitled “Accelerating efforts to eliminate violence against women: preventing
and responding to violence against women and girls, including Indigenous women
and girls”,19 which brings closer attention to this issue, and recognizing also the
negative effects of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination,
Taking note of general recommendation No. 39 (2022) on the rights of
Indigenous women and girls20 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women, and noting further that it provides recommendations to States Parties
on legislative, policy and other relevant measures to ensure the implementation of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,21
Stressing the importance of the empowerment and capacity-building of
Indigenous women and youth, including their full, meaningful, equal and effective
participation in decision-making processes in matters that affect them directly,
including policies, programmes and resources, where relevant, that target the well-
being of Indigenous women, children and youth, in particular in the areas of quality
health services, inclusive quality education, productive employment and decent work,
the transmission of traditional, scientific and technical knowledge, languages,
spiritual and religious traditions and practices, and the importance of taking measures
to promote awareness and understanding of their rights,
Recognizing the importance of the International Year of Indigenous Languages
and the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the critical
loss of Indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote
Indigenous languages, including sign languages, and to take further urgent steps to
that end at the national and international levels, taking into consideration challenges
related to high linguistic diversity, including the promotion, translation and
interpretation of international instruments to Indigenous languages,
Stressing the importance of the preservation, revitalization and promotion of
Indigenous languages for the empowerment of Indigenous language users, speakers
and signers, and the preservation of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, traditions and
knowledge, and recognizing the potential of the positive contribution of digital
technologies in this regard,
Recognizing the important contribution of Indigenous Peoples in addressing a
range of issues on the international agenda,
_______________
19 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 53
(A/71/53), chap. V, sect. A.
20 CEDAW/C/GC/39.
21 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378.
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Recognizing also that Indigenous individuals have the rights to life, physical
and mental integrity, liberty and security of person, and the collective right of
Indigenous Peoples to live in freedom, peace and security, as set out in the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and emphasizing the
importance of meaningfully engaging Indigenous Peoples in peace agreement
negotiations, transitional justice processes, conflict resolution, mediation and
constructive arrangements,
Recognizing further the importance to Indigenous Peoples of revitalizing, using,
developing and transmitting to future generations their histories, languages, oral
traditions, cultures, knowledge, philosophies, writing systems and literature,
Taking note of World Health Assembly resolution 76.16 of 30 May 2023,
entitled “The health of Indigenous Peoples”,22 in which the World Health Assembly
recalls relevant principles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, reaffirms that Indigenous Peoples have the right to their
traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the
conservation of their vital medicinal plants, and also reaffirms that Indigenous
individuals have the right to access, without any discrimination, all social and health
services,
Deeply concerned that, in many cases, suicide rates in Indigenous Peoples’
communities, in particular among Indigenous youth and children, are significantly
higher than in the general population, and recognizing the need to support a holistic
approach to social and emotional well-being through connection to land, culture,
spirituality and ancestry, in addition to access to mental health services and
psychosocial support,
Bearing in mind the importance of promoting respect for the rights of
Indigenous children, in particular eliminating the worst forms of child labour, in
accordance with international law, including relevant human rights law and
international labour law obligations,
Recognizing the importance of access to justice in the promotion and protection
of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and individuals and the need to examine and take
steps to remove obstacles to justice for Indigenous Peoples, especially for Indigenous
women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities,
Reiterating the responsibility of transnational corporations and other business
enterprises to respect all human rights, while recognizing the specific challenges that
may be faced by Indigenous Peoples, and all applicable laws and international
principles and to operate transparently and in a socially and environmentally
responsible manner, and emphasizing the need to refrain from negatively affecting the
well-being of Indigenous Peoples and to take further action towards corporate
responsibility and accountability, including the prevention, mitigation and
remediation of human rights abuses, in line with the Guiding Principles on Business
and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy”
Framework,23
Taking note of the work carried out by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, including on the protection of Indigenous human rights
defenders, as well as of his interim report entitled “Identification, demarcation,
registration, and titling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands: practices and lessons”,24 and
calling upon all States to consider the recommendations contained in the report,
_______________
22 See World Health Organization, document WHA76/2023/REC/1.
23 A/HRC/17/31, annex.
24 See A/80/181.
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Taking note with appreciation of the decision of the Human Rights Council, in
its resolution 60/13, that the theme of the annual half-day panel discussion on the
rights of Indigenous Peoples, to be held during the sixty-third session of the Human
Rights Council, will be on “Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and engagement”, and looking forward
to the summary report thereon to be prepared by the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Noting the discussions to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the
work of the Human Rights Council, including the discussions and outcomes of the
two intersessional meetings on concrete ways to enhance the participation of
Indigenous Peoples in the work of the Council, held on 18 and 19 July and 17 and
18 October 2024, convened to discuss recommendations on possible ways to ensure
the enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples in the work of the Council, and
taking note of the summary report thereon prepared by the Office of the High
Commissioner,25
Taking note of the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights on the half-day panel discussion, held on 27 September 2023, on
the rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular, the impact of certain development
projects on Indigenous women,26
Recognizing the importance of free, prior and informed consent, as outlined in
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
Recognizing and reaffirming that Indigenous individuals are entitled without
discrimination to all human rights recognized in international law, and that Indigenous
Peoples possess collective rights as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which are indispensable for their existence, well-being
and integral development as peoples,
Recognizing the value and the diversity of the cultures and the form of social
organization of Indigenous Peoples and their holistic traditional knowledge of their
lands, natural resources and environment, and stressing that Indigenous Peoples,
including those who are in voluntary isolation or initial contact, have the right to self-
determination and can choose to live in accordance with their traditions,
Noting that the General Assembly, in the outcome document of the high-level
plenary meeting of the Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples, affirmed and recognized the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ religious and
cultural sites and of providing access to and repatriation of their ceremonial objects
and human remains, as contemplated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples,
Commending Member States, cultural, religious and educational institutions,
museums, Indigenous Peoples and civil society for their efforts to combat the illicit
trade in Indigenous Peoples’ cultural property, and welcoming all initiatives, whether
by States, institutions or private persons, for the voluntary return of Indigenous
Peoples’ cultural property that has been illicitly appropriated,
Recognizing that agricultural practices and forestry that include Indigenous
traditional knowledge and innovations can contribute to overcoming the combined
challenges of climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity conservation and
combating desertification and land degradation,
_______________
25 A/HRC/59/35.
26 A/HRC/56/33.
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Recognizing also that Indigenous Peoples, particularly Indigenous women and
girls and Indigenous persons with disabilities, are disproportionately affected by the
impacts of climate change, which have a negative impact on the enjoyment of their
rights, and stressing the need for resources, education and healthcare, as well as the
need to strengthen the full, equal and meaningful participation of Indigenous women
in decision-making processes regarding environmental and development policies,
Recognizing further the importance of facilitating Indigenous Peoples’
livelihoods, which may be achieved by, inter alia, the recognition of their traditions,
land tenure systems, adequate public policies and economic empowerment,
Recognizing that the economic empowerment, inclusion and development of all
Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous women, including through the
establishment of Indigenous-owned businesses, can enable them to improve their
social, cultural, civil and political engagement, achieve greater economic
independence and build more sustainable and resilient communities, and noting the
contribution of Indigenous Peoples to the broader economy,
Concerned about the extreme disadvantages that Indigenous Peoples have
typically faced across a range of social and economic indicators and about the
impediments to their full enjoyment of their rights, in particular for all women, young
women and girls,
Stressing the need to pay particular attention to the rights and special needs of
Indigenous women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities, as set
out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including
in the process of protecting and promoting their equal access to justice,
Welcoming the adoption of decision CBD/COP/DEC/16/5 of 1 November 2024
on the establishment of the Subsidiary Body on article 8 (j) as well as other matters
relevant to Indigenous Peoples under the Conference of the Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity and its Protocols,
Encouraging initiatives for the allocation of financial resources for Indigenous
Peoples in a timely, accessible and transparent manner, respecting the principle of
country ownership and national priorities,
1.
Notes with appreciation the work of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Special
Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, takes note of the reports of the Special
Rapporteur,27 and encourages all Governments to respond favourably to the requests
of the Special Rapporteur for visits;
2.
Takes note of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, 28 the report of the Special
Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, entitled “Identification, demarcation,
registration and titling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands: practices and lessons”, 29 and the
report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, entitled “Right
of Indigenous Peoples to data, including with regard to data collection and
disaggregation”,30 and its annual report on the rights of Indigenous Peoples;31
3.
Urges Governments and the United Nations system, in consultation and
cooperation with Indigenous Peoples through their representatives and institutions, to
_______________
27 A/79/160, A/HRC/57/47 and A/HRC/57/47/Add.1.
28 A/HRC/60/41.
29 A/80/181.
30 A/HRC/60/66.
31 A/HRC/60/65.
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continue to implement appropriate measures at the national level, including
legislative measures, to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to promote awareness of it among all sectors of
society, including members of legislatures, the judiciary and the civil service, as well
as among Indigenous Peoples, and invites international and regional organizations,
within their respective mandates, national human rights institutions, where they exist,
civil society, including non‑governmental organizations, and other relevant actors to
contribute to those efforts;
4.
Underscores the importance of implementing the outcome document of the
high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference
on Indigenous Peoples, and reiterates the commitment of Member States to
cooperating with Indigenous Peoples, through their own representative institutions,
to develop and implement national action plans, strategies or other measures, where
relevant, to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, and acknowledges the positive development that several States
have developed, or are in the process of developing, national action plans and
domestic legislation for their implementation with the coordination of Indigenous
Peoples;
5.
Encourages the leadership of the Secretary-General and of the
Under‑Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as the responsible senior
official of the United Nations system, in overseeing the implementation of and in
following up on the system-wide action plan to ensure a coherent approach to
achieving the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, raising awareness of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and increasing the
coherence of the activities of the system in this regard, and encourages the funds,
programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, resident
coordinators and United Nations country teams to implement this plan in full
alignment with national development needs and priorities;
6.
Encourages Member States, resident coordinators and United Nations
country teams, within their mandates and in coordination with the Governments
concerned, to involve Indigenous Peoples regarding issues affecting them in the
preparation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks
and country programme action plans;
7.
Reminds Member States to work towards achieving the ends of the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
8.
Encourages those States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), of the International
Labour Organization to consider doing so;
9.
Urges Member States to implement World Health Assembly resolution
76.16 of 30 May 2023, entitled “The health of Indigenous Peoples”, and invites the
Director-General of the World Health Organization to take into account the present
resolution while developing a global plan of action for the health of Indigenous
Peoples within the framework of resolution 76.16 and his mandate for the
consideration of the seventy-ninth World Health Assembly;
10. Reiterates the need for Member States to ensure protection for Indigenous
Peoples affected by public health emergencies and protection from future health
emergencies, and prevent all forms of discrimination, especially in the context of
timely, universal, inclusive, equitable and non‑discriminatory access to safe, quality,
effective and affordable healthcare and services and medical supplies and equipment,
including diagnostics, therapeutics, medicine and vaccines, and through the
dissemination of accurate, clear and evidence- and science-based information,
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including in Indigenous languages, as appropriate, and to leave no one behind, with
an endeavour to reach the furthest behind first, founded on the dignity of the human
person and reflecting the principles of equality and non‑discrimination, and calls upon
Member States to put in place an inclusive response to and recovery from public
health emergencies and engage with Indigenous Peoples and other relevant
stakeholders to fully empower all in improving and protecting their own health;
11. Reaffirms that Indigenous Peoples have the right to their traditional
medicines and to maintain their health practices, 32 including, inter alia, the
conservation of their vital medicinal plants, as part of the response to public health
emergencies and their consequences, and also reaffirms that Indigenous individuals
have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services;
12. Recalls the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the United
Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples, 33 encourages Governments and
intergovernmental and non‑governmental organizations to continue to contribute to
the trust fund on Indigenous issues and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for
Indigenous Peoples and invites Indigenous organizations and private institutions and
individuals to do likewise, and notes the importance of accessibility, accountability,
transparency and balanced geographical distribution in the management of those
funds;
13. Also recalls the expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary
Fund for Indigenous Peoples so that it can assist representatives of Indigenous
Peoples’ organizations and communities in participating, whether in person or
alternatively by electronic means, in other mechanisms and negotiations such as the
Forum on Business and Human Rights and in the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including in its
preparatory sessions and in the meetings of the Local Communities and Indigenous
Peoples Platform Facilitative Working Group organized by the secretariat of the
Convention, in accordance with their respective rules and regulations;
14. Decides to further expand the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary
Fund for Indigenous Peoples so that it can assist representatives of Indigenous
Peoples’ organizations and communities in participating in meetings related to the
Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage;34
15. Notes the ongoing work and potential of the Local Communities and
Indigenous Peoples Platform of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, emphasizing the important role of Indigenous Peoples in achieving
the targets and goals set out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change,35 the Paris Agreement36 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
and recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are among the first to face the direct
consequences of climate change owing to their dependence upon and close
relationship with the environment and its resources;
16. Stresses the disproportionate impact of climate change on Indigenous
Peoples due to their direct reliance on ecosystems, including for meeting their basic
needs and engaging in traditional and other economic activities, and further
emphasizes that climate change poses a threat to the survival, dignity and well-being
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32 Resolution 61/295, annex, art. 24, para. 1.
33 A/79/262.
34 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1037, No. 15511.
35 Ibid., vol. 1771, No. 30822.
36 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex.
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of Indigenous Peoples and exacerbates the existing inequities and challenges that they
face;
17. Also stresses the urgent need to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen
resilience and reduce vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples to climate change and
extreme weather events, and to support the leadership, knowledge, technologies,
practices and efforts of Indigenous Peoples to address and respond to climate change,
and encourages Member States to take measures that will ensure the full and effective
participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making processes relating to climate
change on issues affecting them, including Indigenous women, youth, older persons
and persons with disabilities;
18. Further stresses the importance of enhancing the participation of
Indigenous Peoples in processes and negotiations on issues that affect them,
including, but not limited to, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change and the Paris Agreement, 37 and the uunming-Montreal Biodiversity
Framework 38 under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, 39 the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 40 and the
Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; 41
19. Encourages Member States and the private sector to ensure more
sustainable, environmentally friendly and responsible corporate behaviour that
addresses the adverse environmental impact of certain business activities, such as
illegal logging and mining, uncontrolled agribusiness expansions, unsustainable
large-scale infrastructure development projects and extractive industries on the lands
and territories traditionally inhabited by Indigenous Peoples and on the well-being of
Indigenous Peoples;
20. Decides to continue to observe the International Day of Indigenous
Peoples every year on 9 August, and requests the Secretary-General to support the
observance of the Day from within existing resources;
21. Encourages Member States and all organizations and bodies of the United
Nations system and other international and regional organizations, the private sector
and academia, as well as civil society, including non‑governmental organizations, to
observe the International Day of Indigenous Peoples in an appropriate manner,
including through educational and public awareness-raising activities;
22. Encourages Member States to give due consideration to all the rights of
Indigenous Peoples in fulfilling the commitments undertaken in the 2030 Agenda and
in the elaboration of national action plans and programmes as well as international
and regional programmes, applying the pledge to leave no one behind and to
endeavour to reach the furthest behind first;
23. Encourages States to continue to consider including in their voluntary
national reviews for the high-level political forum on sustainable development and
their national and global reports information related to Indigenous Peoples on the
progress made and challenges in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, bearing in
mind paragraphs 78 and 79 of the 2030 Agenda, and also encourages States to compile
disaggregated data to measure progress and to ensure that no one is left behind;
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37 Adopted under the UNFCCC in FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21.
38 United Nations Environment Programme, document CBD/COP/15/17, decision 15/4, annex.
39 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619.
40 Ibid., vol. 1954, No. 33480.
41 Ibid., vol. 1037, No. 15511.
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24. Also encourages States, according to their relevant national context and
characteristics, to collect and disseminate data disaggregated by ethnicity, income,
gender, age, race, migratory status, disability, geographic location or other factors, as
appropriate, in order to monitor and improve the impact of development policies,
strategies and programmes aimed at improving the well-being of Indigenous Peoples
and individuals, to combat and eliminate violence and multiple and intersecting forms
of discrimination against them and to support work towards the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda;
25. Calls upon States to foster an enabling online environment that is safe and
conducive to engagement by all Indigenous Peoples, and to take all necessary and
appropriate measures to address disinformation and advocacy of hatred constituting
incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence towards Indigenous Peoples;
26. Encourages the Secretary-General to include information pertinent to
Indigenous Peoples in the forthcoming annual reports on progress towards the
Sustainable Development Goals;
27. Stresses the need to strengthen the commitment of States and the entities
of the United Nations system to mainstream the promotion and protection of the rights
of Indigenous Peoples into development policies and programmes at the national,
regional and international levels, and encourages them to give due consideration to
the rights of Indigenous Peoples in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda;
28. Also stresses the need for Indigenous Peoples of all regions to contribute
to the high-level political forum on sustainable development, and encourages States
to engage with Indigenous Peoples at the local, national and regional levels in relation
to the Sustainable Development Goals and to promote Indigenous Peoples’ leadership
in their achievement;
29. Invites the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of
Indigenous Peoples to give due consideration, within their mandates, to the rights of
Indigenous Peoples as related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;
30. Encourages the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to continue to
provide input on Indigenous issues to the high-level political forum on sustainable
development for consideration in its thematic reviews;
31. Underlines the need to intensify efforts, in cooperation with Indigenous
Peoples, to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence, harassment and
discrimination, both online and offline, against Indigenous women, children, youth,
older persons and persons with disabilities and to support measures that will ensure
their empowerment and full, meaningful and effective participation in decision-
making processes at all levels and in all areas and eliminate structural and legal
barriers to their full, equal and effective participation in political, economic, social
and cultural life;
32. Urges States to take necessary measures, where appropriate, to ensure the
rights, protection and safety of Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous leaders and
Indigenous human rights defenders, and to promote a safe and enabling environment
in which human rights violations, killings, reprisals and abuses against or related to
them are prevented and investigated, the perpetrators are held accountable and access
to justice and remedy are ensured;
33. Reaffirms the importance of effective accountability with regard to
violence against Indigenous women and girls, including all forms of sexual and
gender-based violence, domestic violence, abuse, exploitation and sexual harassment,
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as well as with regard to taking adequate measures to prevent and eliminate such
violence;
34. Encourages States to consider including in their reports related to
Indigenous Peoples and women information on the progress made and challenges in
the implementation of Commission on the Status of Women resolutions 49/7 of
11 March 2005, entitled “Indigenous women: beyond the ten-year review of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”,42 and 56/4 of 9 March 2012, entitled
“Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication”, 43 as well as to
consider general recommendation No. 39 (2022) on the rights of Indigenous women
and girls of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;
35. Invites Member States and all organizations and bodies of the United
Nations system and other international and regional organizations, the private sector
and academia, as well as civil society, to consider the importance of general
recommendation No. 39 (2022) of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, with a particular focus on gender equality and the
empowerment of Indigenous women and girls;
36. Takes note of the work of the Commission on the Status of Women on
gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including Indigenous
women and girls, and suggests that the Commission consider in a future session the
issue of gender equality and the empowerment of Indigenous women and girls as a
priority theme;
37. Recalls the proclamation of the period 2022–2032 as the International
Decade of Indigenous Languages, to draw attention to the critical loss of Indigenous
languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote Indigenous
languages and to take urgent steps at the national, regional and international levels,
and renew its support to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization to serve as the lead agency for the International Decade through the
global action plan, in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs of the Secretariat, and other relevant agencies, within existing resources;
38. Highlights the progress made towards the midterm review of the
implementation of the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous
Languages, scheduled for 2027 and coordinated by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, a process that will allow for the assessment of
progress achieved both globally and in national and local action plans, with the aim
of strengthening efforts for the preservation, revitalization and promotion of
Indigenous languages;
39. Encourages the adoption by Member States of national action plans with
an intergenerational approach to preserve, revitalize and promote Indigenous
languages, including sign languages, and engage with public and private actors to
enhance the use of digital technologies involving and empowering Indigenous
Peoples, while respecting their cultures, traditions and autonomy;
40. Recognizes the importance of Indigenous languages as a driver for the
achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and calls upon Member States to
integrate the preservation, promotion and revitalization of Indigenous languages into
the wider efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda;
_______________
42 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2005, Supplement No. 7 and
corrigendum (E/2005/27 and E/2005/27/Corr.1), chap. I, sect. D.
43 Ibid., 2012, Supplement No. 7 and corrigendum (E/2012/27 and E/2012/27/Corr.1), chap. I,
sect. D.
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41. Also recognizes the importance of creating international, regional and
national initiatives to promote the use of Indigenous languages, such as the
Ibero‑American Institute of Indigenous Languages, and in this regard encourages
Member States to explore the creation of such initiatives;
42. Invites Member States to consider establishing national mechanisms with
adequate funding for the successful implementation of the International Decade of
Indigenous Languages, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, and to support
Indigenous Peoples, as custodians of their own languages, to initiate and develop
appropriate measures for the implementation of the International Decade, with the
aim to preserve, revitalize and promote Indigenous languages;
43. Recognizes that the United Nations pursues multilingualism as a means of
promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally,
reaffirms that linguistic diversity is an important element of cultural diversity, and
encourages Member States to adopt public policies with an intercultural approach in
their design and implementation, aiming to preserve, revitalize and promote
Indigenous languages, the possibility of including educational programmes that
reinforce the use of Indigenous languages among children and youth by using an
intergenerational approach with the participation of Indigenous elders, as well as the
promotion and use of Indigenous languages at the international level;
44. Recalls the right of Indigenous Peoples to establish their own media in
their own languages and to have access to all forms of non‑Indigenous media without
discrimination, and calls upon States to promote and examine national policies,
practices and funding programmes on Indigenous media, including on capacity-
building and content production in Indigenous languages by Indigenous content
producers and media professionals, especially Indigenous women, and to foster
international cooperation, knowledge-sharing and cooperation among Indigenous
media and other partners, including mainstream media and Governments;
45. Encourages Governments to redouble efforts to eliminate child labour,
both in legislation and in practice, in the context of respect for the human rights of
Indigenous children, including through international cooperation, as appropriate;
46. Also encourages Governments to promote actions to end hunger and
malnutrition in all its forms and achieve food security and improved nutrition for
Indigenous children, especially for those living in rural and remote areas, by
providing them with adequate access to food, water and sanitation, education,
including intercultural and multilingual education, and universal and equitable access
to quality health services, and to implement actions for poverty eradication and build
sustainable food systems;
47. Further encourages the United Nations University, the United Nations
Institute for Training and Research and the International Labour Organization
International Training Centre in Turin, Italy, among others, to promote academic
programmes, research and training that integrate Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge,
worldviews and values, while fostering inter-scientific dialogue between science and
indigenous traditional knowledge;
48. Urges Governments to ensure that Indigenous Peoples shall not be forcibly
removed from their lands or territories and that no relocation shall take place without
the free, prior and informed consent of the Indigenous Peoples concerned, after
agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of
return, and to take effective measures to ensure that all Indigenous Peoples, regardless
of their tenure status, have access to essential services, including access to safe and
affordable water, sanitation, energy and health services;
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49. Encourages transnational corporations and other business enterprises to
respect human rights, including the rights of Indigenous children, and to eliminate
forced labour and child labour from their operations;
50. Expresses concern over the misappropriation and misuse of Indigenous
Peoples’ cultural heritage, reaffirms that Indigenous Peoples have the right to
maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge
and traditional cultural expressions, and that they also have the right to maintain,
control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage,
traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, and recalls that States, in
conjunction with Indigenous Peoples, shall take effective measures to recognize and
protect the exercise of these rights, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and as acknowledged in national law;
51. Underscores the need to ensure equal protection of the law and equality
before the courts for Indigenous women and girls at all levels and, to that end, the
importance of providing systematic gender-sensitivity training, as appropriate, for
police and security forces, prosecutors, judges and lawyers, integrating gender
considerations into security sector reform initiatives, developing protocols and
guidelines and enhancing or putting in place appropriate accountability measures for
adjudicators;
52. Encourages States and entities of the United Nations system to strengthen
international cooperation, including to address the disadvantages faced by Indigenous
Peoples, and to increase technical cooperation and financial assistance in this regard;
53. Encourages the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s
Fund and other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, in
accordance with their mandates, to carry out research and evidence-gathering on the
prevalence and root causes of suicide among Indigenous youth and children and good
practices on its prevention and to consider developing, as appropriate, strategies or
policies, consistent with national priorities, in cooperation with Member States, to
tackle it, including through consultation with Indigenous Peoples, in particular
Indigenous youth organizations;
54. Recalls the report of the Secretary-General on enhancing the participation
of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United
Nations bodies on issues affecting them,44 and recalls with appreciation the work led
by the Presidents of the General Assembly at its seventieth to seventy-fifth sessions
in conducting consultations with Member States, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives
and institutions from all regions of the world and existing mechanisms of the United
Nations on possible measures to enable the participation of Indigenous Peoples’
representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations bodies on
issues affecting them, which led to the adoption of Assembly resolution 71/321, taking
into account the achievements in that regard of other bodies and organizations
throughout the United Nations system, to be preceded by consultations with
Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions from all regions of the world as
an input to the intergovernmental process;
55. Takes note with appreciation of the summary reports of the three informal
interactive hearings on possible further measures necessary to enhance the
participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in relevant
United Nations meetings on issues affecting them, held at United Nations
Headquarters on 17 April 2018, 25 April 2019 and 20 April 2023, recalls General
Assembly resolution 70/232, whereby the Assembly requested the President of the
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44 A/75/255.
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General Assembly to conduct timely, inclusive, representative and transparent
consultations with Member States, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and
institutions from all regions of the world, and existing relevant mechanisms of the
United Nations, on the possible measures necessary, including procedural and
institutional steps and accreditation criteria, to enable the participation of Indigenous
Peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations
bodies on issues affecting them, and also recalls Assembly resolutions 71/321 and
77/203, whereby the Assembly decided to continue the consideration of possible
further measures necessary to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples’
representatives and institutions in relevant United Nations meetings on issues
affecting them at the seventy-eighth session, as originally requested in resolution
71/321;
56. Congratulates the President of the General Assembly for convening a
successful and productive high-level event to commemorate the tenth anniversary of
the adoption of the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the
General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in order to
raise awareness of the importance of pursuing its objectives;
57. Recalls its resolution 78/328 of 6 September 2024 on enhancing the
participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of
relevant United Nations bodies on issues affecting them, in which the General
Assembly decided to continue its consideration of possible further measures
necessary to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and
institutions in relevant United Nations meetings on issues affecting them at its
eightieth session, taking into account the achievements in that regard of other bodies
and organizations throughout the United Nations system, with the aim of adopting
procedural and institutional steps;
58. Raises awareness of the fact that many Indigenous Peoples do not speak
any of the official languages of the United Nations, and encourages the United
Nations to consider addressing this issue;
59. Recalls its resolution 79/159 of 17 December 2024 deciding to organize a
high-level panel, within existing resources, to be held during the high-level week of
the eighty-second session of the General Assembly, in 2027, to commemorate the
twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples and share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of
Indigenous Peoples, including to pursue the objectives of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
60. Decides to initiate, at the high-level panel, a discussion on the organization
of the Second World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, to be held in 2028, and
invites the President of the General Assembly, at its eighty-first session, to conduct
open-ended consultations with Member States and representatives of Indigenous
Peoples within the framework of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as well
as with the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special
Rapporteur, in order to determine the modalities for the meeting, including the
participation of Indigenous Peoples in the Conference;
61. Encourages the United Nations system to strengthen cooperation with the
Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the
Caribbean, considering its fundamental role in the Latin American and Caribbean
region in processes of dialogue and consultation between States and Indigenous
Peoples;
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62. Calls upon the relevant States to recognize, respect and protect the rights
of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact, and to respect the
principle of no contact, where applicable;
63. Decides to continue its consideration of the question at its eighty-first
session, under the item entitled “Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, and to maintain in
the provisional agenda the sub-item entitled “Follow-up to the outcome document of
the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples”.
62nd plenary meeting
15 December 2025
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