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IWGIA is following the situation of indigenous peoples and their rights. Get the latest updates, alerts, stories and up-to-date facts here. Click here for more news.

Historic Milestone at COP16: The Establishment of a Subsidiary Body for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendants, and Local Communities Was Approved

BY THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES (CNTI) FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

Twenty-six years after the creation of a working group to implement Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, this milestone agreement has been reached through the consensus of parties and their rigorous negotiation efforts. Establishing a permanent body at the COP acknowledges the importance of the traditional knowledge held by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants, and their local communities.

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CHT Commission Condemns Attacks on Indigenous Students, Demands Accountability and Action Against Perpetrators and Rising Extremism

17 January 2025 Ι The CHT Commission strongly condemns the brutal and violent attack on Indigenous students and their supporters on January 15, 2025, in Dhaka1. Furthermore, when a group under the banner “Aggrieved Student-Masses” organized a march on January 16, 2025, to protest the attack, the police responded with excessive force, including baton charges, water cannons, and sound grenades to disperse them2. We condemn both incidents and urgently demand justice, accountability for the perpetrators, proper medical treatment for the injured, and effective measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

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Indigenous Women are still not on the global agenda at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities gather at a two-week session to take stock of the status of women around the world, discuss the progress and regress of the situation, and agree on necessary next steps.

Although continuously pushing for their rights, Indigenous women still suffer from an acute lack of visibility at the Commission and are not given the space to impactfully exert their leadership.

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CHT Commission Condemns Arson Attack on Tripura Community in Notun Tongjhiri Para, Calls for Justice and Urgent Action Against Systemic Violence and Land Grabbing in the CHT

1 January 2025 Ι The International CHT Commission is deeply alarmed and outraged by the recent arson attack on the Tripura community in Notun Tongjhiri Tripura Para of Sarai Union, Lama upazila, Bandarban district. According to media reports1, on the night of 24 December 2024, 17 houses belonging to the Christian Tripura community were burnt to ashes. The attack occurred while the residents were away celebrating Christmas in a neighboring village due to the lack of a local church. Media reports allege that associates of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed were involved in the arson attack. These individuals have reportedly made repeated attempts to evict the Tripura families, using threats, coercion, and violence to force them off their ancestral lands.

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Gold and Cocaine: A Toxic Alliance Threatening the Amazon and Its Peoples

BY TORA JENSEN FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

The quest for gold has shaped human history for centuries, driving exploration, conquest, and exploitation. For the Spanish Crown, it was the lure of gold that propelled the second expedition to the Americas and it became a pivotal factor in the subsequent colonization of the continent. The legacy of gold mining in Latin America, however, has become a modern crisis with far-reaching consequences. The invasion of Indigenous territories by coca cultivation, trafficking routes, and illegal mining operations is provoking displacement, violence, and environmental destruction.

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About IWGIA

IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.

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Indigenous World

IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read The Indigenous World.

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