The Indigenous World 2023: Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network (IPWDGN)

Written on 30 March 2023. Posted in Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network (IPWDGN)

“Now we are at the table neither as Indigenous Peoples, nor as disabled, but as Indigenous persons with disabilities. That changes everything” — Setareki Macanawai^[1]

“Empowering Indigenous women with disabilities means that we must be at the table making decisions about the issues that affect us”— Pratima Gurung^[2]

Both these statements highlight the distinct identity that Indigenous persons/women with disabilities hold and urges acknowledgement of their multiple marginalized intersected identities and the societal forces around us that hinder them from exercising their rights.

54 million Indigenous persons with disabilities^[3] — 28 million of which are Indigenous women with disabilities^[4] — live around the globe with multiple marginalized intersected identities, routinely encountering historical, structural, systematic and indirect discrimination in their daily lives similar to that of “persons with disabilities” and “Indigenous people”.^[5]

Moreover, when these multiple identities overlap and associate with indigeneity, disability, or gender, which are identities tied to oppression, it stimulates each oppressive identity. Their lives are thus further impacted by the social influences around them, which distinguishably affect their lived experiences. Their lives can be restricted or determined for them, in contradiction to the principles of individual and collective rights, negating several important milestones for equality and human rights.

Consequently, issues pertaining to Indigenous persons/women with disabilities frequently remain less debated and invisible from both disability and Indigenous policies. Commonly, they struggle for their own existence and identity within these groups — both the Indigenous Peoples’ movement and the persons with disabilities movement — in the absence of a broader movement.

This article is part of the 37^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous person in Tanzania. This photo was taken by Geneviève Rose, and is the cover of the Indigenous World 2023 where this article is featured. Find the Indigenous World 2023 in full here.

Having a disabled identity connects Indigenous persons/women with disabilities to a social identity associated with stigma, prejudice, social norms and values, discrimination, limitation, barriers and exclusion. Similarly, an Indigenous identity also connects them to culture, language, connection to land, identity, colonization, discrimination, oppression, human rights violations, and a collective way of life. Historical injustices against Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities are compounded by marginalization from economic opportunities and exclusion from societal participation. However, the nexus of disability and indigeneity is not cohesive in a comprehensive form. There is a lack of prioritization, which has resulted in a failure to address the significant barriers faced by Indigenous persons with disabilities. They face multiple barriers to effective participation in society, including access to development programmes and funds, education, employment, health care, communication, and transportation services^[6] and their narratives are often established from a dominant (Western and individual) worldview.

A failure to achieve a holistic and collective understanding as enshrined in Articles 21 and 22 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is related  to the complex nexus of disability and indigeneity related to meso- and macro-level social, political, environmental, and institutional factors at the global and national levels. For instance, the formation of the Disability Caucus in 2012 at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the creation of the Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network (IPWDGN),^[7] were a milestone in paving a path to inclusion. In addition, the Regional Network of Indigenous Peoples with Disabilities and Regional Effort of Indigenous Women with Disabilities^[8] and the formation of national organizations such as the National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN)^[9] and its provincial and local-level movements, the Nepal Indigenous Disabled Association (NIDA), like in several other regions of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia, has been fundamental.

However, the struggle of these small initiatives for inclusion within the Indigenous and disability movements has yet to become more affirmative with self-advocacy, collective powerful stories and action. It has to move ahead with cross-movement collaboration and networks of peoples, beliefs and actions by valuing reciprocity.^[10] At this juncture, the journey of Indigenous persons with disabilities in legitimizing themselves and co-creating spaces to set the agendas within the Indigenous and disability movements across the globe and escalating them in State and other discourse remains critical.

Amplifying collective voices at global level

The voices of voiceless Indigenous persons with disabilities have been amplified through different interventions in the global arena. The second Global Disability Summit (GDS 2022)^[11] was one of the initiatives that took place in 2022, hosted by the Government of Norway and International Disability Alliance (IDA).^[12]

GDS 2022 invited stakeholders, including national governments, multilateral agencies, donors, foundations, the private sector and civil society organizations, to make commitments on specific themes. In collaboration with IDA and Minority Rights Group, the IPWDGN held a side event on Ensuring that Indigenous and Minority People with Disabilities are Not Left Behind in Covid-19 Recovery Efforts: Building New Partnerships to Meet Urgent Challenges on 16 February. There were 63 specific commitments under five central themes at the summit.

The commitments listed under the Charter for Change^[13] in 2018 included one reference to people with disabilities affected by multiple forms of discrimination, and there was little mention of intersectionality or of issues experienced by persons with disabilities from Indigenous communities. A review of the final 968 individual commitments made by stakeholders under the 2018 Charter revealed two references to Indigenous Peoples. These references can be taken as grounds for reinforcing the movement and framing the issues of Indigenous persons within the disability movement.

Similarly, during the 66th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66)^[14] several side events were organized at which the issue of Indigenous women with disabilities was considered.^[15] Speakers highlighted the multiple identities of Indigenous women with disabilities and the nexus of disability and gender. In addition, two major side events were organized at the 15^th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (COSP15)^[16] entitled Intersectional Approach to Disability Inclusion and Beyond at the CRPD on 13 June, and Disability Inclusive Climate Action Debate on 17 June, where disability experts, leaders, governments, and development partners representing different organizations presented their statements, remarks, opinions and lived experiences on the issues impacting their lives from local to global levels. As a speaker in those sessions, Pratima Gurung (the author of this article) shared her local, national, regional and global lived experiences, reflections and a way forward for collective activism.

Historical path to inclusion: CEDAW General Recommendation (GR39)

The IPWDGN, IDA and NIDWAN welcomed the historic declaration and outstanding level of inclusiveness for the adoption of General Recommendation No. 39 on the rights of Indigenous Women and Girls (GR39),^[17] providing guidance to States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on the more relevant issues facing Indigenous women and girls. GR39 is the first binding instrument focused on the rights of Indigenous women and girls and responds to a long-standing demand by Indigenous women themselves for a specific instrument to promote and protect their rights. It includes 30 references to disability and Indigenous women and girls with disabilities, referring specifically to non-discrimination and intersectionality. CEDAW includes “disability” among the many grounds for discrimination and layers of identities involved with regard to Indigenous women and girls with disabilities in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 16 and 17 particularly.

Focusing more on issues specific to Indigenous women and girls with disabilities, CEDAW highlights the gravity of discrimination and gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls with disabilities living in institutions and stresses that women and girls with disabilities commonly experience a denial of their legal capacity, which leads to further human rights violations in areas such as access to justice, institutionalized violence, and forced sterilization. Throughout the recommendation, there are many specific recommendations on Indigenous women and girls with disabilities that relate to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and influence the upholding of human rights standards.

GR39 will guide CEDAW States Parties in implementing concrete measures to eliminate historical discrimination and the violation of the rights of Indigenous women and women with disabilities, taking into consideration their individual and collective rights. In collaboration with IDA, NIDWAN and local, regional and global organizations and networks of Indigenous women, women with disability and other women organizations, IPWDGN has submitted several reports on GR.

Co-creating spaces for disability-inclusive climate action at COP 27

NIDWAN has been attending and engaging in climate change issues and forums since 2015, focusing on the impacts of climate change in Asia.^[18] The team attended COP 27 and highlighted the need for Indigenous and disability-inclusive climate change initiatives with meaningful participation and representation in accessibility issues,^[19] cross-constituency collaboration,^[20] and as key contributors to climate action,^[21] emphasizing intersectionality in global climate negotiations^[22] at side events, Indigenous Caucus meetings, in the Indigenous Pavilion and in a meeting with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat.

Pratima Gurung, participated as a speaker in more than six side events on several topics, including Inclusion of Person With Disabilities and Indigenous People With Disabilities at COP 27: From Participation to Accessibility, Climate Change is Everyone's Business and so is Disability: Sharing from Rightsholders and Stakeholders on 10 November; Leaving No One Behind: The Climate Crisis and People with Disabilities on 17 November; Indigenous Women’s Leadership in Climate Governance: Centring Indigenous Women’s Perspectives and Resistance in Climate Justice on 17 November; and Disability, Food Security and Climate Change: the Need for Inclusive Action on 15 November.

Documenting the voiceless

To shape the agenda of Indigenous Peoples and women with disabilities at the global level in different UN mechanisms and other international arenas, NIDWAN submitted reports at different levels. The call for submissions from the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls was submitted on 31 January, which highlighted the distinct forms and causes of violence that Indigenous women and girls with disabilities face in their daily lives. Collective, historical, structural and indirect violence are just a few of the forms incorporated in the report. Similarly, NIDWAN, in collaboration with four Indigenous women’s organizations – NIW Federation, NIDWAN, INOWLAG and NIW Forum of Nepal – submitted a report on CEDAW GR39 on 31 January in order to include the voice of Indigenous women with disabilities.

Reflecting the work and synergy at regional level

Understanding these nuances, the struggles of Indigenous persons with disabilities in 2022 has been reflected in some progressive achievements. With the support and collaboration of International Disability Alliance (IDA), IPWDGN conducted several events, such as workshops in Bolivia, Nepal and Kenya, and festivals in Kenya in October.

The objective of the workshops was to unite, raise awareness, share and learn from different brothers and sisters, including duty bearers, about the issues and challenges faced by Indigenous persons with disabilities and come up with plans for influencing policies at the national level. These workshops also enabled the space and opportunity for Indigenous persons with disabilities to enhance their network at the community level.

The network also conducted research on the situation of Indigenous persons with disabilities in Baringo, Kenya to understand their situation, which is scheduled to be published in 2023.

With the support of the Disability Rights Funs (DRF/DRAF),^[23] NIDWAN also initiated the first country-level assessments on Indigenous persons with disabilities in Asia, focusing on Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh. This will continue in 2023 and expand to other Asian countries. In addition, the endorsement of a disability inclusion policy within the executive structure of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP),^[24] and its implementation within AIPP member organizations with the support of DRF/DRAF, is one of the major achievements for disability inclusion and space creation within the Indigenous Peoples’ network and organizations. The policy is a good example of and practice for other Indigenous organizations in region and globally.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

The 7^th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR-2022), among others, considered actions to reduce disaster risk for the most vulnerable, including Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, and to ensure their full and effective participation in decision making. Pratima Gurung presented the high-level dialogue focused on learning from COVID-19, highlighting pandemic realities and experiences faced by women, Indigenous persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, recommending a system-wide, inclusive action approach, as well as an intersectional, cultural and disability inclusive approach for addressing disaster and emergencies, pointing to the central role of civil society.

Pratima Gurung also attended the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) with a key position paper and statements from Indigenous Peoples from the Asia Pacific region, in collaboration with AIPP and NIDWAN. She highlighted that response, relief, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction are the critical phases for Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge should be put at the centre of this. The Indigenous Peoples Position Paper on DRR was the first initiative taken in collaboration with AIPP and NIDWAN to highlight the issues of Indigenous Peoples in the APMCDRR.

In addition, Pratima Gurung was selected for the 2022 Rising Star Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction Leadership Award^[25] as one of the inspiring women across the region contributing to the understanding, prevention and reduction of the risk of disasters.

Conclusion

With the trajectories of these meso- and macro-levels of progress, challenges, and triumphs, Indigenous persons with disabilities are co-creating their spaces and struggling within and beyond the movement for their distinct identity and inclusion with an intersectional lens by standing in a position to demand respect and the achievement of “Nothing About Us Without Us” with all concerned leaders, experts and stakeholders.

Ms. Pratima Gurung belongs to the Gurung Indigenous Peoples community. She is a faculty member at Padmakanya College under Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She is General Secretary of the Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network (IPWDGN) and President of the National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN). You can reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This article is part of the 37^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous person in Tanzania. This photo was taken by Geneviève Rose, and is the cover of the Indigenous World 2023 where this article is featured. Find the Indigenous World 2023 in full here.

Notes and references 

^[1] United Nations. OHCHR. “Expert Meeting on Indigenous Person with Disabilities.” 7-8 July 2016, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Disability/ExpertMeetingFinalReport.docx

^[2] UN Women. “From where I stand: “We must be at the table making decisions.” 19 April 2017, https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/4/from-where-i-stand-pratima-gurung

^[3] United Nations. Economic and Social Council. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. “Study on the situation of indigenous persons with disabilities, with a particular focus on challenges faced with regard to the full enjoyment of human rights and inclusion in development.” 2013, https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/ecosoc/e.c.19.2013.6.pdf

^[4] UN Women. “Fact Sheet. Indigenous Women with Disabilities.” 2020, https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/fact-sheet-on-indigenous-women-with-disabilities

^[5] Gurung, Pratima. “Claiming Voices and Spaces: Indigenous Women with Disabilities in Nepal.” South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding vol.5, no.1, Special Issue: Summer 2019, http://wiscomp.org/peaceprints/PPJ-5-1/PPJ-5.1-Article7.pdf

^[6] Global Disability Summit. “Ensuring the Inclusion of Indigenous Persons with Disabilities.” 4 January 2022, https://www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/blogs/ensuring-the-inclusion-of-indigenous-persons-with-disabilities

^[7] International Disability Alliance. “Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network.” https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/content/indigenous-persons-disabilities-global-network

^[8] National Indigenous Disabled Women Association – Nepal. “Side-Events During the 2^nd World Conference of Indigenous Women.” 27 August 2021, https://nidwan.org.np/2021/08/27/side-events-during-the-2nd-world-conference-of-indigenous-women

^[9] National Indigenous Disabled Women Association – Nepal, https://nidwan.org.np/

^[10] Gurung, Pratima. “Our lives, our story: The journey of the voiceless towards advocacy.” in Global Perspectives on Disability Activism and Advocacy Our way, edited by Karen Soldatic and Kelley Johnson. Interdisciplinary Disability Studies, Routledge, 2019, https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351237499-11/sex-trafficking-activism-disability-mark-sherry

^[11] Global Disability Summit, https://www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/

^[12] International Disability Alliance, https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/

^[13] UK Government. “Policy Paper. Global Disability Summit – Charter for Change.” 3 July 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-disability-summit-charter-for-change

^[14] UN Women. “CSW66 (2022).” https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw66-2022

^[15] Side events during the 66^th session of the CSW: “Understanding the Gendered Risks: Women as the Central Piece to the Climate Adaptation Puzzle.” 15 March 2022; "Voice and Visibility: Global South Feminist Demands for Environmental Justice.” 22 March 2022; “Intersectionality: Gender, Disability and Climate Change.” 23 March 2022 in collaboration with NIDWAN.

^[16] United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability. “Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities.” https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/conference-of-states-parties-to-the-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2.html

^[17] United Nations. OHCHR. “General recommendation No.39 (2022) on the rights of Indigenous women and Girls.” 26 October 2022, https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-recommendation-no39-2022-rights-indigeneous

^[18] International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change. “Impacts of Climate Change to Indigenous Peoples in Asia.” 9 December 2015, http://www.iipfcc.org/events/2015/12/9/impacts-of-climate-change-to-indigenous-peoples-in-asia

^[19] Kelly-Costello, Áine. “Can COP27 contribute to disability-inclusive climate justice?” UnbiasNews, https://unbiasthenews.org/can-cop27-contribute-to-disability-inclusive-climate-justice/

^[20] Kelly-Costello, Áine. “Can COP27 contribute to disability-inclusive climate justice?” Disability Debrief, 7 November 2022, https://www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/cop27-climate-justice

^[21] Gurung, Pratima. “Indigenous women with disabilities are not just victims but we are key to climate solutions.” Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, 22 November 2022, https://gaggaalliance.org/indigenous-women-with-disabilities-are-not-just-victims-but-we-are-key-to-climate-solutions

^[22] Ruehl, Isabel. “How people with disabilities fought for formal recognition at COP27.” Grist, 22 November 2022, https://grist.org/equity/how-people-with-disabilities-fought-for-formal-recognition-at-cop27

^[23] Disability Rights Fund, https://disabilityrightsfund.org/

^[24] Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, https://aippnet.org/about-us

^[25] “Win DRR leadership awards 2022: rising star award – finalists.” Prevention Web, 22 July 2022, https://www.preventionweb.net/blog/win-drr-leadership-awards-2022-rising-star-award-finalists

Tags: Global governance, Human rights, IWGIA