Welcome to the United Nations
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
The world continues to lack the full picture of the marginalisation and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, due to a dearth of disaggregated data and a critical gap in terms of tools and resources to engage comprehensively and securely. As the human rights-based approach to development has shown, if there is no disaggregated data on Indigenous Peoples, and no effort to ensure they are included in digital transformations, they will remain invisible, their rights will continue to be disregarded in the context of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and they will be left behind. To advance in the work toward the full implementation of the SDG framework, and in particular when monitoring the five SDGs to be considered in the HLPF 2022, Indigenous Peoples are engaged in a number of critical initiatives to use and develop technology to enhance and empower them to claim their rights and to document their situation. In the absence of official data, there is an urgent need to sustain efforts to enhance data and knowledge, particularly through community-based monitoring, as well as evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogues to illustrate the added value of development strategies that respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and aspirations based on international standards. In order to secure Indigenous Peoples rights, ensure that they are not left behind, and that their voices and demands are heard, we must make technology work for democracy and human rights, not against them.
