Implementing the UNDRIP within UN Member States and the UN System: Identifying Good Practices and Addressing Challenges
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007, provides a global framework to uphold the rights, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. While progress has been made, significant challenges remain in the full implementation of the Declaration, including the need for national action plans, legal reforms, and institutional collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.
In line with commitments from the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, UN Member States have pledged to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples to develop and implement strategies to achieve the Declaration’s goals.
The 2025 session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) focused on:
- Assessing action plans, legislation, and institutional efforts.
- Establishing systems to measure progress.
- Enhancing Indigenous involvement in decision-making across all levels.
In this line, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) hosted five dialogues.
- Dialogue with Member States
By linking the Outcome Document of the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP), in which States committed to taking appropriate legislative, policy, and administrative measures in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to the UNDRIP, the PFII raised awareness across all sectors of society. The dialogue also provided an opportunity for the Permanent Forum and Member States to discuss key priorities and explore how the Forum can advise and assist in addressing these issues. above
- Interregional, intergenerational, and global dialogue on the Rights of Indigenous Women
This dialogue focused on the Rights of Indigenous Women, recognizing both the severe challenges they face due to overlapping discrimination and their vital, yet often overlooked, contributions to culture, biodiversity, climate action, and human rights. A dedicated session aimed to empower Indigenous women by boosting their participation in decision-making and aligning the existing global frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda, UNDRIP, ILO Convention 169, and CEDAW Recommendation No. 39. The dialogue highlighted progress, challenges, and needed actions from Member States to evaluate how Indigenous women’s movements and UN bodies can advance these goals.
- Dialogue on Indigenous platforms established within United Nations entities.
This session focused on Indigenous Platforms within UN entities. These platforms have emerged in response to UNDRIP, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ meaningful participation in global governance. Rather than serving as mere consultation tools, the platforms must serve the mission of enabling true collaboration, the co-creation of policies, and the respect for Indigenous governance and decision-making. The UNPFII plays a vital role in helping Indigenous Peoples strategize their engagement with these mechanisms. It stresses that these platforms must recognize Indigenous Peoples as collective rights-holders, not just ordinary stakeholders, and urges States and UN bodies to design them accordingly, in line with Article 42 of UNDRIP.
- Thematic dialogue on the financing of Indigenous Peoples’ works and participation across the multilateral and regional system.
This year’s thematic dialogue provided a platform to address Indigenous Peoples’ survival and global responsibilities, considering two key areas: Critical Minerals and Indigenous Peoples, and Financing Indigenous Peoples’ work and participation. (afternoon session). Both are essential for Indigenous well-being and planetary sustainability.
For further information, see: Declaration on the Rights of indigenous Issues, and World Conference on Indigenous Peoples
Parallel Event
During the 24th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the office of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur co-sponsored a side event entitled: “Extractives, Critical Minerals, and Land Grabbing from the Lens of the Indigenous Peoples”, held on Tuesday, April 29, 2025
The session highlighted how the push for renewable energy to combat climate change has led to a surge in demand for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and copper. Many of these key resources are located on Indigenous lands. Consequently, situated near or on their territories are 54% of clean energy extractive projects. These lands are vital to Indigenous peoples’ identity, culture, and livelihood. However, mining projects often proceed without respecting Indigenous rights, particularly the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). As a result, a growing number of Indigenous communities are raising concerns about the harmful impacts of mining on their lands. The side event explored Indigenous perspectives on extractive practices and advocated for their alignment with UNDRIP and FPIC.
See: UNPFII twenty-fourth Session, and 2025 Forum on Indigenous Issues