International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Each year, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we honour the approximately 476 million Indigenous voices across the globe and reaffirm our commitment to protecting their rights, traditions and ways of life in an ever-evolving world. Today, Indigenous Peoples worldwide are using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to map territories, document languages, monitor the effects of climate disruption and create new forms of cultural expression. Artificial intelligence holds the potential to enhance the transmission of ancestral knowledge. Yet, without safeguards in place to ensure its ethical and inclusive development, it risks causing digital exclusion, reinforcing harmful biases and distorting Indigenous languages. That is why this year’s celebration is being held under the theme of “Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures” – focusing on both the promises and perils of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, while high...

Indigenous Peoples are guardians of ancient knowledge, defenders of cultural heritage, stewards of biodiversity, and essential to our shared future. Amid the rise of new technologies, Artificial Intelligence can help preserve endangered languages and oral histories, map ancestral lands, and amplify Indigenous wisdom to fight climate change. But without the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples, these same technologies risk perpetuating old patterns of exclusion, misrepresenting cultures, and violating fundamental rights. We must ensure AI is developed and governed in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and just. On the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples , let’s build a future where technology preserves Indigenous knowledge and culture, and protects rights and advances dignity – for today and generations to come.  United Nations Secretary-General.

 Theme: Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures Today, we join the global celebration of the unique contributions and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, who have safeguarded the world’s biodiversity for millennia. Their knowledge and cultures, rooted in deep cultural and spiritual connections with land, waters, and territories, have sustained ecosystems and communities alike. They are key to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This year’s theme of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples invites us to reflect on how technology can support traditional knowledge systems. Artificial Intelligence is transforming how knowledge is generated and applied. For Indigenous Peoples, this brings both challenges and opportunities. Inadequate applications of AI can undermine the principles that safeguard traditional knowledge, including consent, control, and data sovereignty. But appropriate safeguards can ensure ...