Remarks by the President of the General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Twenty-Fourth Session
Monday, 21 April 2025, 10 a.m.
(As Delivered by Vice-President H.E. Viliami Va’inga Tone)
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to address the 24th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
I warmly welcome the Indigenous Peoples present here today.
I congratulate the Chair on her election and wish all of you a productive and meaningful session.
This Forum remains a vital platform—not only to celebrate the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Indigenous Peoples—but to hear from them directly.
To learn from their wisdom.
And to better understand the challenges they face, and the aspirations they hold.
That understanding enables us to craft more effective policies to support their needs.
Excellencies,
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in 2007, offers a universal framework for advancing the rights, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples everywhere.
This vision aligns closely with one of the central priorities of my Presidency: the protection of human rights and dignity for everyone, everywhere.
The Forum’s theme – implementing the Declaration within Member States and across the United Nations system – is timely and urgent.
With just five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the call for action has never been clearer.
That call was echoed last September with the adoption of the Pact for the Future—an agreement to revitalise multilateralism and accelerate sustainable development.
The Pact reaffirms the need to recognize, respect, promote, and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including their lands, territories, and ecosystems.
Equally important are the pledges to safeguard their traditions.
To ensure their full participation in public life.
And to uphold their right to be meaningfully involved in matters that affect them, as determined by law and in accordance with international human rights obligations.
Indeed, there has been progress.
Several Member States have taken concrete measures and made progress to uphold and promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples and to involve them in decision-making in matters that affect them
Provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have been integrated at national, regional and global levels.
Nationally, Indigenous Peoples’ rights have been recognized in Constitutions and laws in several countries.
Such efforts are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the principle of leaving no one behind.
Yet much more remains to be done.
Nearly two decades after the adoption of the Declaration, its implementation remains incomplete.
Concrete action is still lacking.
Many Member States, United Nations entities, and stakeholders must go further.
By developing national action plans, amending laws, and building institutions in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples.
Meanwhile, Indigenous communities continue to face the harshest impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, and limited access to education and healthcare.
These persistent disparities demand urgent, sustained attention.
This session offers us a chance to confront the challenges and deliver on the Declaration.
We need real, tangible action.
Action that advances equality, protects cultural heritage, and empowers all Indigenous Peoples – women and men, to shape their own futures.
Excellencies,
Indigenous Peoples must have the right to set their own priorities—while preserving their cultures, traditions, and identities.
They deserve not only to be heard, but to live lives of dignity, peace, and well-being, grounded in justice and equality.
This session must be more than a forum for dialogue.
It must be a moment of resolve.
Let us seize this moment to translate the promise of the Declaration into meaningful change to uphold the rights and dignity of Indigenous Peoples and leave no one behind.
I thank you.
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Media Contacts
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Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser/ Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, M: +1 917 361 4990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
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