UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2023

Image: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The twenty-second session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was held on 17-28 April at the UN Headquarters in New York. This year’s theme was “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach”.

The draft report on the session is available detailing the speakers and discussions that took place at the Forum, with the final report to be made accessible at a later date. The first meeting was opened by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, followed by a welcoming address by the Chief of the Onondaga Nation. Statements were made by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly, the President of Colombia, the President of the Economic and Social Council, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and the United States Secretary of the Interior.

Addressing the year’s special theme, indigenous representatives emphasized the vulnerable position of their communities in times of health crises, calling upon Member States and UN entities such as the WHO to recognize indigenous views in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that their rights guaranteed in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are protected with respect to sexual and reproductive health, secure food systems, access to clean water and others.  

The draft report and further details are available on the website of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.