UNPFII: From principles to action

This year’s forum brought Indigenous leaders, UN agencies, member states, and civil society organizations together to accelerate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) implementation.

The Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Aluki Kotierk, underscored a persistent reality: “Indigenous Peoples are still excluded from decisions affecting the very foundation of our identity, survival, and self-determination.”

One of the Forum’s most urgent priorities is protecting Indigenous territories, particularly in the world’s rainforests, where deforestation, extractive industries, and land grabbing threaten both Indigenous communities and global biodiversity. Among those most at risk are Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation. In South America alone, there are records of 188 uncontacted Indigenous Peoples. However, only 60 are recognized by the governments in the countries where they reside, highlighting the need for their existence – and their right not to be contacted – to be recognized.

From principles to action: The Isolated Indigenous Peoples’ Corridors Initiative

At UNPFII, Indigenous organizations from Peru, Brazil and Colombia, together with Rainforest Foundation Norway organized an event on the Isolated Indigenous Peoples’ Territorial Corridors Initiative, working to protect large rainforest areas on the borders between Peru and Brazil. Indigenous organizations are asking the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the States to adopt the territorial corridors initiative, which seeks to protect Indigenous peoples in isolation and initial contact, and the well-being of surrounding Indigenous peoples, by guaranteeing their rights and territories.

"One of the themes for this year's Permanent Forum addresses good practices. We consider the Territorial Corridors initiative, reclaiming the territoriality of peoples in isolation and initial contact, an example of just that – good practices", says Beatriz Huertas, Senior Advisor for Rainforest Foundation Norway.

“More so, the initiative is a comprehensive protection strategy that guarantees rights established explicitly for these peoples, territorial governance for the surrounding Indigenous peoples, intersectoral and institutional coordination at the State level, and cross-border coordination”, Huertas added.

"When we talk about territorial corridors, we're not talking about a project but of territories of life and resistance. We refer to the peoples in voluntary isolation as our older brothers and sisters. They had the wisdom to avoid contact. We have been left with the duty to protect them", says Jamer Lopez, the president of ORAU, a regional organization part of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest.

From challenges to opportunities

From the Amazon to Papua, Indigenous delegates gathered at UNPFII to underscore the need to recognize Indigenous Peoples' importance in addressing the Climate and Biodiversity crisis.

In the Amazon, communities continue to resist the expansion of roads, oil drilling, and illegal mining into their territories. Peru recently approved controversial legislative amendments, restricting civic space. Meanwhile, in New Guinea, home to the world’s third-largest rainforest, Indigenous Peoples are also confronting escalating threats.

Yet there is hope: the long-awaited Indigenous Peoples Bill has been reintroduced to the legislative agenda in Indonesia. Rainforest Foundation Norway and its local partners, including YAYASAN PUSAKA and Forest Watch Indonesia, have welcomed the move and are urging continued political commitment to ensure its passage.

“In many of the world’s rainforest areas, Indigenous Peoples are facing increasing pressure from illegal logging, mining, and loss of territory,” says Aina Grødahl, Senior Policy Advisor at RFN. “They are defending not only their rights, but also the world’s last remaining large rainforests.”

As the Forum comes to an end, Rainforest Foundation Norway reaffirms its solidarity with Indigenous Peoples on the frontlines. The message from New York is unequivocal: safeguarding Indigenous rights is not just a moral imperative but also essential to protecting the Earth’s remaining rainforests and tackling the global climate crisis.