International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous youth leaders share perspectives on ocean protection, emphasizing Indigenous knowledge, rights, and the protection of ocean kin for health and well-being. This side event centers Indigenous youth leadership in ensuring Indigenous Peoples' health through the protection of ocean kin. For Indigenous coastal communities, ocean health is directly linked to physical health, food sovereignty, mental well-being, cultural continuity, and intergenerational resilience. In contexts of conflict—including resource extraction, pollution, overfishing, climate disruption, and the criminalization of Indigenous fishers—harm to ocean ecosystems results in direct harm to Indigenous Peoples' health systems and ways of life. Ocean kin are not resources; they are relatives within legal and governance systems grounded in responsibility and reciprocity. Indigenous youth are advancing rights-based frameworks that recognize the inherent rights of marine ecosystems while affirming Indigenous j...

UNESCO brought together two of Africa’s remaining hunter-gatherer communities to test the CyberTracker application, which combines Indigenous knowledge with digital technology. Indigenous languages, cultures and knowledge are celebrated globally on 9 August, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. ‘We have a connection with the Hadzabe community because they are hunter-gatherers just like us.’ In May 2025, ǀUi David, a tracker from the Juǀ’hoansi San community in Namibia, took part in a unique exchange organized by UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Programme (LINKS). Together with members of Tanzania’s Hadzabe community, he participated in training on CyberTracker , an icon-based application that allows users to record animal tracks, signs, and ecological data, blending Indigenous knowledge with digital technology. Tracking the old way with new tools The Juǀ’hoansi San and Hadzabe communities share a deep bond. Both have developed extensive knowledge of...