Joint statement by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, July 2023:

The 100-year commemoration of the Deskaheh mission's attempt to reach the League of Nations in Geneva is a moment to remember that Indigenous Peoples have existed long before States were formed. They have always fought to preserve their governance structures, autonomy, and inherent right of self-determination.

The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a crucial milestone in the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.

Everything you need to know about the upcoming UN General Assembly High-level Week 2023:

Every year, the Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch within the Division for Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs organizes an international expert group meeting (EGM) on a theme recommended by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and endorsed by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The Permanent Forum at its 2023 session recommended the theme of the Expert Group Meeting (EGM), “Indigenous Peoples in a Greening Economy”.

Dates: 23 -25 January 2024

The United Nations will convene the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023 at its Headquarters in New York, during the General Assembly high-level week. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at midpoint, world leaders will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions towards the target year of 2030.

Young climate advocates will tell leaders at a UN summit next month that they are out of options: government and big business must work together on ambitious climate action that pushes the world faster towards sustainability and empowers youth with the ‘green skills’ that will secure our future.

Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. The shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green skills are “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society”.

On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

The International Day observance will take place online on Wednesday, 9 August 2023 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The report of the 22nd session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2023) was presented by the Chair of the Forum to the Economic and Social Council Management Segment Meeting on 25 July 2023.

Click here to read the report.

Website of the 22nd  session of the PFII.

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council . This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023 as part of the High-level Segment of the Council. The last day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC will be on Thursday, 20 July 2023.

The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) is organizing a VNR-Lab on 11 July 2023 in support of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.  It is also an occasion to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Cooperatives.