The Indigenous World 2026: Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC)

Written on 22 April 2026. Posted in Indigenous Youth

The Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC or the Caucus) is the only Indigenous Youth-led collective within the UN Major Group for Children and Youth. The Caucus is a distinctive space because it brings together Indigenous Youth from all over the world, representing each of the seven socio-cultural regions. The Caucus promotes their participation as a collective in various international forums in order to create a unified movement. It is recognized by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and collaborates with key mechanisms, such as the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to promote the rights of Indigenous Youth.

The Caucus was established in 2000 and formally inaugurated in 2006. Since then, it has met during the annual sessions of the UNPFII to discuss and draft global statements. In 2008, the Permanent Forum and its Secretariat recognized the GIYC as an Indigenous Youth Working Group. Through this platform, the Caucus ensures the continuity of Indigenous Peoples' leadership and participation in global decision-making processes.

This article is part of the 40^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. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

"If human rights are to mean more than rhetoric, and if they are to be applied to those who do not enjoy them, they must first be enjoyed by Indigenous Peoples, who were the original inhabitants of the continents and islands of this world. The most fundamental of these rights is self-determination, that is, the right to live on and control our lands, and to pass on our culture to future generations as peoples and not as populations; we also have an international right as nations to take our place in the society of nations."^[1]

- Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, Na Wahine Noa people, in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, 1985

“To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” are among the first words of the UN Charter.^[2] Peace and security are thus central to all branches of the UN system. From its inception, the vision of civil and political rights was individualistic. The Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was the first to propose a reformulation of UN thinking: a vision that incorporates Mother Earth and collective rights, particularly one that recognizes Indigenous nations as nations before the UN.

The progress made by Indigenous Peoples has resulted in laws and new constitutions. Rather than affirming pluralistic rights, however, it could be said –following Kymlicka–^[3] that international law attempts to codify “best practices” while actually only codifying “minimum standards” or the “lowest common denominator” of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. There is a need to deepen the legitimate demands for these rights, instead of viewing them as threats to national security.

Indigenous Peoples, particularly their youth, now need to be “re-institutionalized” within the UN, on the basis of their proposal for Good Living. The reformulation initiated by the WGIP can provide global answers for the peace of all peoples.

Furthermore, the fundamental responsibility for peace and security lies with the UN Security Council. The Security Council is the only body that can take decisions that are binding on all members, and no other body can legally enforce compliance. Reform of the Security Council is therefore essential for strengthening the effectiveness of the UN.

On the occasion of the 80^th anniversary of the UN in 2025, the UN80 initiative^[4] builds on the Pact for the Future^[5] and UN 2.0, two lines of work focused on internal change within the UN. Although resolution A/RES/79/1 approving the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations dates from 2024, both strategies will be implemented until their review in 2028. The Pact for the Future contains chapters on sustainable development; peace and security; science and technology; youth and future generations; and, finally, transformation of global governance. A number of the proposals take Indigenous Youth into account within the Pact.

Among them, the chapter on science and technology includes action 32, which states: “We will protect, build on and complement Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge.” In addition, the chapter on transforming global governance envisages the collaboration of Indigenous Peoples with governments, parliaments and the UN system in the meaningful development of UN programmes. Finally, commitment 16 of the Declaration on Future Generations lays down a commitment to recognize and respect the right to territory and the economic, social and cultural development of Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with the law and with obligations under international human rights law.

While the right to self-determination is included in the Pact for the Future, it does not guarantee an Indigenous vision in the transformation of the UN. However, the UN80 initiative and its mandate^[6] forms a gateway to strengthening the role of Indigenous Peoples as nations with a voice within the UN. The initiative focuses on the importance of the role of women and youth in the design of specific UN mandates (strategic coordination and evidence-based decision-making, among others). This is important for Indigenous Youth because it would help implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in a coordinated manner throughout the international law system.

We therefore present below the challenges that are testing the resilience of multilateralism and the proposals of Indigenous Youth for the prevention and maintenance of peace.

As the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC), we will focus on interpreting peace and security for young people from the perspective of the UNDRIP, based on the rights to self-determination (art. 3), autonomy (art. 4) and effective participation (arts. 18 and 19). We will also analyse the rights to life (art. 7), dignity (art. 15), the prohibition of forced displacement (art. 10) and demilitarization (art. 30).

Rights to self-determination, autonomy and effective participation

The debate on the rights of Indigenous Youth is today undergoing profound political and economic transformations. According to the UN Secretary-General's New Year message,^[7] we are witnessing the greatest transfer of power in our time: not from governments to people but from governments to private technology companies. This scenario is highly concerning for the right to self-determination, particularly for Indigenous Youth and children.

During the 24^th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the GIYC joined calls to rethink the scope of the right to self-determination. States tend to reduce this right to the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consultation (FPIC), without recognizing the different expressions of the right to self-determination. This is particularly detrimental to Indigenous Youth and adolescent organizations, which face structural barriers to their existence and development.

Several members of the GIYC raised the need for direct funding mechanisms for Indigenous Youth during the 24^th session of the UNPFII. On behalf of the GIYC, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs requested that these mechanisms be reviewed and facilitated by the UN system. Alongside this, together with the GIYC, the National Association of Friendship Centres called for the full implementation of the UNDRIP in the financing of basic and essential services for Indigenous Youth, as well as the cessation of extractive projects.

Access to funding remains a major barrier. Between 2022 and 2024,^[8] only 0.96% of grants from major climate foundations supported youth-led climate initiatives. Unfortunately, we have no studies on funding for Indigenous Youth. This is partly due to administrative requirements that force Indigenous Youth organizations to adopt bureaucratic structures and methodologies in order to access funding directly. The desire for funding arises from a need to support community life plans: accessible health systems, promotion of Indigenous knowledge as a source of employment, and the strengthening of Indigenous languages and the oral history of elders.

In this context, the GIYC called for the permanent recognition of Indigenous Youth in decision-making processes, requesting specific funding and structural inclusion. These recommendations were incorporated into the Report on the 24^th session of the UNPFII^[9] and the Report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their traditional economies,^[10] which underscore the urgency of including Indigenous Peoples in the reform of the international financial architecture, as well as the need for institutional support to enable Indigenous Youth to participate in the different UN spaces. At the international level, the GIYC also maintained its demand for direct funding for Indigenous Youth during COP30 on climate change, particularly during the dialogue with the UN Secretary-General at the Annual Youth Roundtable.^[11] This annual dialogue is a tradition of the Secretary-General's office, where they listen to the direct demands of global youth during the COP climate change negotiations. 2025 was the first year that saw improved participation on the part of Indigenous adolescents and youth in the Annual Youth Roundtable and the dialogue was moderated by a young Indigenous woman, Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido. The Secretary-General agreed that greater participation on the part of young people, especially Indigenous Youth, would lead to better results in the fight against climate change. He also acknowledged calls for more direct and less bureaucratic funding for Indigenous Peoples and pledged to improve conditions to make this possible.

In addition, actions such as the repatriation of ancestral belongings led by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis representatives reflect a concrete dimension of self-determination, linking identity to historical memory. The return of ancestral belongings was made possible through constant demands to the Vatican. This action represents an important step forward in facilitating the safe return of our ancestors and belongings. The participation of Indigenous Youth in this space was supportive of intergenerational healing and sets an example for other Indigenous nations around the world.

Rights to life, dignity, prohibition of forced displacement, and demilitarization

The rights to life, dignity and the prohibition of forced displacement nonetheless continue to be seriously violated, especially for Indigenous children.^[12] A UNICEF report contains testimonies that recount discrimination in schools and concerns about the future of Indigenous children. The testimony of one Piraguary child from the State of Ceará, Brazil states:

“Yes, in my territory there are two (...) quarries and a farm (...). And they exploit our territory (...) they extract water from our waterfall to sustain themselves. And the quarries are devastating the entire mountain range, destroying everything, deforesting. But we were able to take over and dismantle one of them, and now only the other one remains, which we are in the process of trying to deactivate permanently.”

These experiences are exacerbated in contexts of armed conflict. The Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict^[13] documented 646 grave violations against children in Colombia, of which 38% affected Indigenous and Afro-descendant children, including recruitment, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals.

Despite these concerns, peacebuilding efforts can be seen, such as those observed by the Peacebuilding Commission in different regions of Colombia, as well as South-South cooperation initiatives.

Finally, proposals co-led by the GIYC, such as the first Global Youth Declaration on Mercury,^[14] highlight the need to fund research and remediation activities on the part of Indigenous Peoples, recognizing that mercury pollution constitutes a persistent and intergenerational violation of human rights. In particular, it highlights the importance of “Establishing safe and empowering spaces where children and youth in all their diversity can voice, document and share with decision-makers their testimonies and priorities on mercury pollution”.

Taken together, these elements demonstrate that guaranteeing the rights of Indigenous Peoples requires a comprehensive understanding of self-determination, effective participation by Indigenous Youth, and concrete measures to protect the life and dignity of Indigenous children in contexts of discrimination, conflict, and environmental degradation.

Kantuta Conde is a young Indigenous woman from the Aymara Nation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. She is the former chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Indigenous Youth Network of Latin America and the Caribbean and a member of the United Nations Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

This article is part of the 40^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. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Notes and references

^[1] Ziegler, Volkmar, director. Été Indian à Genéve. DOCIP, 2011.

^[2] UN Doc. United Nations Charter. United Nations, 1945. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text

^[3] Kymlicka, Will. “Multiculturalism and Minority rights: West and East”. Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, 2015. https://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/redakteure/publications/JEMIE_Datens%C3%A4tze/Jemie_datens%C3%A4tze_2015/Kymlicka.pdf

^[4] UN Doc. A/RES/79/318. 18 July 2025). https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/79/318

^[5] UN Doc. A/RES/79/1. 22 September 2024). https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/document/a-res-79-1.php

^[6] UN Doc. IAHWG Zero Draft: Mandate Creation, Implementation and Review for an Effective United Nations. UN, 8 January 2026). https://www.un.org/un80-initiative/sites/default/files/2026-01/260108%20IAHWG%20zero%20draft_0.pdf

^[7]United Nations. Secretary-General's press conference on his 2026 priorities. United Nations, 26 January 2026. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-events/2026-01-29/secretary-generals-press-conference-his-2026-priorities

^[8] Youth Climate Justice Fund. Youth Climate Funding Study: Mapping the Funding Landscape for Youth-Led Climate Solutions, 2025. Youth Climate Justice Fund, 2025. https://ycjf.org/assets/ycfs-2025/Youth_Climate_Funding_Study.pdf

^[9] UN Doc. E/2025/43-E/C.19/2025/8. 13 May 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/E/2025/43

^[10] UN Doc. A/HRC/EMRIP/2025/3. 6 May 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/EMRIP/2025/3

^[11] UN News. "'Decisive battle': Guterres calls for youth power in fight to phase out fossil fuels. Felipe de Carvalho". UN News, 2025. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166399

^[12] UNICEF. Voces de niñas, niños y adolescentes indígenas de América Latina y el Caribe. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/lac/informes/voces-ninas-ninos-adolescentes-indigenas-de-america-latina-y-el-caribe.

^[13] UN Doc. A/79/878-S/2025/247. 17 June 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/s/2025/247

^[14] Mercury Youth Task Force. Global Youth Declaration on Mercury. 7 November 2025.https://trello.com/c/AaRltziK/13-eng-final-global-youth-declaration-as-presented-at-cop-6

Tags: Global governance