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On 7 November 2023, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee) of the 78th session of the General Assembly discussed and took up the draft resolution "The Rights of Indigenous Peoples" [item 68 (a)].
The Committee took up the draft resolution “Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (A/C.3/78/L.20/Rev.1).
Among other issues, the resolution:
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Suggests that the Commission on the Status of Women considers in a future session the issue of gender equality and the empowerment of Indigenous women and girls as a priority theme;
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Recalls General Assembly resolutions 71/321 and 77/203, whereby the Assembly decided to continue the consideration of possible further measures necessary to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in relevant United Nations meetings on issues affecting them at the seventy-eighth session, as originally requested in resolution 71/321;
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Request the President of the General Assembly to convene, within existing resources, a high-level event to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption of outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in order to raise awareness of the importance of pursuing its objectives;
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Takes note of the World Health Organization resolution of 30 May 2023 entitled “The health of Indigenous Peoples”, which recalls relevant principles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and reaffirms Indigenous Peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, and also reaffirms that Indigenous individuals have the right to access, without any discrimination, all social and health services
The facilitators reminded Member States and the UN to respect the political agreement made by States at the 77th session of the General Assembly on the use of capital letters of the term "Indigenous Peoples".
The main sponsors of the resolution were the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Ecuador.
The following states took the floor after the approval of the resolution: Senegal, Hungary, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Slovakia (on behalf of Blugaria, France, Romania), Canada (on behalf of Australia, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand), Gambia and the Holy See.
The Committee approved the draft resolution “A/C.3/78/L.20/Rev.1” by consensus.
Meetings Coverage: "Third Committee Approves 12 Draft Resolutions, Including Texts on Mercenaries, Unilateral Coercive Measures, Indigenous Peoples and Right to Food (GA/SHC/4398, 7 NOVEMBER 2023)
