UNESCO convened the official side event “Strengthening Engagement with Indigenous Peoples: Knowledge Systems, Languages, Policy and Practice” on 27 April 2026 during the twenty-fifth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York. Organized with Member States, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, United Nations mechanisms and partner entities, the event brought together Indigenous leaders, government representatives and representatives of international mechanisms, including the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), the International Indigenous Forum on World Heritage (IIFWH), the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) of the UNFCCC, the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and other international Indigenous experts, to help shape the ongoing update of UNESCO Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples.
Opening the event, Eliot Minchenberg, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in New York, reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to dialogue grounded in equity, respect and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). He highlighted the importance of Indigenous languages, cultures and knowledge systems in responding to global challenges and emphasized that the resilience of UNESCO-designated sites is inseparable from the knowledge and stewardship of Indigenous Peoples. The discussions were moderated by Donna Mitzi Lagdameo (UNFCCC Secretariat) and Khalissa Ikhlef (UNESCO LINKS Programme).
From theory to practice
Throughout the discussions, participants stressed that engagement should move beyond consultation towards genuine co-construction, co-governance and shared implementation. Indigenous knowledge systems were recognized not as complementary sources of information but as complete systems of governance, ethics and environmental stewardship that can strengthen responses to climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and social cohesion.
Speakers highlighted the importance of Indigenous languages as carriers of identity, worldviews and intergenerational knowledge transmission. They also called for stronger safeguards for Indigenous knowledge and data sovereignty, greater recognition of Indigenous governance within UNESCO-designated sites, improved language accessibility, and stronger institutional partnerships that enable meaningful Indigenous participation across UNESCO’s fields of competence.
Important step for UNESCO’s policy on engaging with Indigenous Peoples
A range of practical recommendations emerged from the dialogue, including strengthening FPIC as an operational principle across UNESCO-designated sites and programmes, supporting Indigenous advisory mechanisms, reinforcing institutional accountability, promoting equitable inclusion of Indigenous knowledge, advancing collaboration with international Indigenous Peoples mechanisms, and supporting efforts related to the repatriation of Indigenous cultural property and human remains.
The event represents an important milestone in UNESCO’s ongoing consultation process to update its policy on engaging with Indigenous Peoples. The recommendations gathered will contribute to the next stages of the policy revision, while consultations with Indigenous Peoples, Member States and partners will continue at national, regional and international levels.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-advances-engagement-indigenous-peoples?hub=701
