International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the mandate, which is an important milestone that invites reflection on achievements, challenges, and opportunities for the future. This moment provides a unique opportunity to take stock of progress made in advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples while acknowledging the persistent and emerging threats they continue to face . Against this backdrop, a side event at the 2026 session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) will provide a timely and strategic platform to commemorate the legacy and impact of the Special Rapporteur's mandate. The event aims to bring together current and former mandate holders, Indigenous leaders, government representatives, UN agencies, and experts to reflect on how the mandate has shaped global advocacy and protection efforts. Participants will explore the major accomplishments and contributions of the mandate, celebrate the leadership and resilience of Indigenous Peoples, and highli...

AI systems often exclude or misrepresent Indigenous Peoples, reflecting colonial biases. Yet, when developed, implemented and governed ethically, AI can support language revitalization and cultural preservation . The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Art. 13 & 31 affirm Indigenous Peoples’ right to transmit and control their cultural knowledge. No use of Indigenous data or heritage should happen without Free, Prior and Informed Consent. This and more will be discussed during the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2025 event on August 8th.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world at an unprecedented pace. For Indigenous Peoples, this technology can bring both significant challenges and promising opportunities. AI systems often reflect biases embedded in the data they are trained on—data that frequently excludes or misrepresents Indigenous Peoples’ voices and knowledge. Without safeguards put in place, AI can reinforce harmful biases, exclusion, and lead to further appropriation of Indigenous Peoples' culture and knowledge without their consent. Indigenous Peoples also continue to face barriers to accessing new technologies, as recognized through the World Summit of the Information Society process, especially in rural areas, widening digital divides. Yet, AI also holds potential opportunities for Indigenous Peoples. When developed inclusively and ethically, AI can support language revitalization and enhance cultural preservation . For example, AI-driven tools can help document endangered Indigenous langua...

 The Virtual commemoration  International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2025 entitled “ Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures ”  will take place on August 8th from 9:00 - 10:30 AM EST/New York The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated globally on 9 August. It marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.1 To commemorate the International Day, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is organizing a virtual commemoration on Friday 8 August 2025 on the theme: Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures. The virtual commemoration will take place online. It will include an opening segment and statement from the Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. A moderated panel with invited speakers will consider and discuss how Indigenous Peoples rights can be ensured in the age of AI , and debate on the associated challenges and o...

  Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world at an unprecedented pace, transforming ways of life, work, interactions, and creating breakthroughs across education, healthcare and agriculture. While it offers great potential, it also brings significant risks . This holds especially true for Indigenous Peoples. United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/78/265 from 2024 emphasized that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected and promoted throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems . Respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights is essential to realizing the positive potential of AI and avoiding perpetuating harm . Without safeguards, the potential of AI is unlikely to be distributed equitably and may instead contribute to widening digital divides.  Left unchecked, AI risks perpetuating colonial legacies.

  AI technologies are built and trained on vast amounts of online data. When Indigenous Peoples’languages, knowledge, and cultural materials are included in such datasets without transparency and their FPIC, it risks perpetuating patterns of exploitation and appropriation that Indigenous Peoples long have resisted. The data that AI models are trained on also frequently excludes or misrepresents Indigenous Peoples, their knowledge and voices. AI algorithms also tend to be biased by the worldviewof the developers . Such AI models are thus likely to reflect and may even exacerbate existing inequities. For example, with increasing use of biometric and facial recognition technologies, this can contribute to further misidentification and profiling of Indigenous Peoples. Moreover, AI systems depend on immense computational infrastructure with data centers that require significant amounts of electricity for their operations, water for cooling, raw materials for manufacturing electronics. T...

  Despite significant challenges and risks, AI also holds notable opportunities through Indigenous leadership and innovations . Across the world, Indigenous Peoples have already started exploring the use of AI, in ways that are in line with their priorities, cultures and ways of life. AI can be an important tool for intergenerational knowledge sharing and empowerment of Indigenous youth , enabling new ways of preserving and revitalizing culture, language and identity. However, there are still no specific mechanisms in place to support technology initiatives with cultural identity. Therefore, it is essential that international mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund, include dedicated lines of support for AI and Indigenous Peoples. One of such areas where AI may offer significant positive potential is in the revitalization of Indigenous languages , many of which are at risk of disappearing. AI can help to document Indigenous languages, create content that can help revive their use...