Indigenous land defenders are facing unprecedented levels of violence and criminalization, while their traditional knowledge is being systematically exploited by artificial intelligence systems without consent. Concurrently, Indigenous women and girls are experiencing a surge in violence. These critical issues, which span from traditional territories to the burgeoning digital landscape, were brought to the forefront this week at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where Indigenous leaders issued urgent warnings about the interconnected crises threatening their health and sovereignty.
A Global Crisis Echoes at the UN
The 25th session of the UNPFII, held under the overarching theme "Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ Health in the Context of Conflict," provided a crucial platform for Indigenous voices from across the globe. The gravity of the situation was underscored by alarming statistics: in 2023 alone, 31 percent of all human rights defenders killed worldwide were Indigenous or actively working on Indigenous rights, despite comprising only five percent of the global population. This disproportionate targeting highlights the inherent risks faced by those who champion the rights and protection of Indigenous lands and peoples.
Albert K. Barume, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, opened the session with a stark assessment. "There is a crisis Indigenous people are currently experiencing, and it’s because many Indigenous peoples are killed, many are under arrest, many live in hiding," Barume stated. "This is because Indigenous peoples’ land and territory are often not protected enough." His remarks set a somber tone for a forum that has consistently served as a vital space for Indigenous communities to collectively address systemic inequities and advocate for their rights on a global stage.
Claire Charters, an expert in Indigenous global affairs from Ngāti Whakaue, emphasized the empowering nature of the UNPFII. "That is a very empowering thing," Charters commented. "Because it supports the movement as a whole." This sentiment reflects the forum’s unique ability to foster solidarity and amplify the collective voice of Indigenous peoples, strengthening their advocacy efforts worldwide.
The Land as a Battleground: Criminalization and Resource Disputes
For Indigenous nations, the fight for health, well-being, and fundamental rights is inextricably linked to the land. However, communities lacking secure and legally recognized land tenure are perpetually vulnerable to the incursions of extractive industries and state-sponsored violence. This precarious situation has led to a dramatic rise in the criminalization of Indigenous land defenders. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that legal systems are increasingly being weaponized to suppress legitimate resistance against the encroachment on ancestral territories.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Mbororo and former chair of the UNPFII, articulated the pervasive nature of this violence. "The violence against Indigenous peoples happens so often," Ibrahim stated during a session. "It’s happening every single day." This daily reality underscores the urgent need for robust protective measures and accountability for perpetrators.
The Global Terrorism Index has noted the rapid expansion of militant jihadist groups, particularly in the Sahel region of north-central Africa. This expansion poses a direct threat to the pastoralist sectors, which are central to the sustenance and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples in the region. "Access to the land, access to water is becoming a big challenge in the daily lives of women and men, and of course children’s lives are being lost on top of that," Ibrahim explained, illustrating the devastating impact of conflict and resource scarcity on vulnerable communities.
While Latin America continues to be a particularly dangerous region for fatal violence against land defenders, the suppression of Indigenous voices is a growing concern in North America as well. Judy Wilson, a Secwepemc elder and knowledge keeper for the British Columbia Native Women’s Association, voiced her concerns regarding Canada’s approach. "Canada is prioritizing rapid resource development," Wilson stated. "The legislation directly threatens our Indigenous sovereignty, environmental protection, safety and specifically increases the risks associated with man camps and missing, murdered Indigenous women and girls."
Across the United States and Canada, Indigenous nations have documented extensive patterns of state-sanctioned surveillance, strategic lawsuits, and the use of detention to silence Indigenous leaders who oppose major development projects, such as pipelines and logging operations. In 2022, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called for immediate action in several land rights cases involving Indigenous peoples such as the Western Shoshone, Native Hawaiian, Gwich’in, and Anishinaabe.
Amnesty International’s research indicates that these abuses, often linked to disputes over natural resources where governments and corporations seek access to land without Indigenous consent, are rarely investigated. This lack of accountability perpetuates a cycle of impunity, leaving Indigenous land defenders increasingly vulnerable.
Asserting Inherent Rights: The Foundation of Indigenous Land Tenure
Advocates at the UN stressed that the criminalization of Indigenous land defense is deeply intertwined with the exploitation of natural resources. Governments and corporations frequently seek access to ancestral lands without obtaining free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous communities. This pattern of disregard for Indigenous rights not only undermines human rights but also jeopardizes global environmental protection efforts.
In an interim report presented to the General Assembly, Special Rapporteur Albert K. Barume issued a critical warning: States must cease treating Indigenous lands as mere commodities and instead recognize the sacred, foundational nature of Indigenous land tenure. "Indigenous Peoples’ land rights are inherent and do not originate from State authority or recognition," Barume wrote. "They arise from Indigenous Peoples’ long-standing and ancestral ownership, use and occupation of their lands as distinct nations, prior to colonization or the establishment of State boundaries." This assertion reinforces the principle that Indigenous land rights predate and supersede state claims, demanding a fundamental shift in how governments and international bodies engage with Indigenous territories.
The Digital Frontier: Data Sovereignty and the Rise of "Digital Extractivism"
As the world increasingly relies on digital technologies, Indigenous leaders are confronting a new frontier of exploitation: the realm of artificial intelligence and data. The rapid expansion of generative AI systems presents a double-edged sword for the estimated 476 to 500 million Indigenous people worldwide. While AI offers powerful tools, it also heralds an era of "digital extractivism," where traditional knowledge, cultural motifs, and linguistic heritage are scraped from the internet without consent, leading to the commodification and appropriation of invaluable Indigenous assets.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim’s research highlighted the inherent biases embedded in many AI models. Due to the underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the datasets used for training these systems, AI can often fail to accurately recognize Indigenous identities, languages, or cultural nuances. This can result in the amplification of existing structural discrimination and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes.
Building a Framework for Ethical Data Governance
In response to these challenges, a growing global movement is advocating for "Indigenous data sovereignty" to replace the prevailing "open data" paradigm, which has historically proven inadequate in protecting collective rights. This new paradigm emphasizes the right of Indigenous peoples to control their data, ensuring it is managed ethically and benefits their communities.
Several successful frameworks are already demonstrating the practical application of digital sovereignty. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the development of Te Reo Māori speech recognition tools by Te Hiku Media serves as a prime example. This initiative allows for the creation of extensive linguistic corpora while ensuring that Māori cultural and linguistic data remains firmly under Māori control.
Internationally, Ibrahim’s report champions the adoption of the CARE Principles – Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics. These principles provide a framework for the ethical management of AI technologies, empowering Indigenous communities to retain ultimate decision-making authority over their data. Similarly, the OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) principles, developed by First Nations in Canada, establish a robust model for community data ownership and control.
The Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust in Aotearoa New Zealand is actively implementing these principles through its Māori Data Governance Model. Roimata Timutimu, Data Program Manager at Te Kāhui Raraunga, stressed the vital importance of Indigenous control over data for improving service delivery and ensuring outcomes align with Māori needs and priorities. Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru, a Māori data sovereignty expert, further emphasized that data is not merely a product but is deeply intertwined with identity and lineage. "All data is whakapapa [lineage]," Taiuru stated. "It still has that spiritual connection." This perspective underscores the profound cultural and spiritual significance of data for Indigenous peoples, necessitating a governance model that respects these intrinsic values.
Addressing the Escalating Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls
The intersection of displacement, climate change, and the fallout of extractive industries has a particularly acute impact on Indigenous women. In North America, this reality is tragically evident in the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). This devastating situation is fueled by the very intersecting vulnerabilities that were a central focus of discussions at the UN this week.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) convened a dedicated session to review its 2022 General Recommendation No. 39. This recommendation stands as the sole international legal instrument specifically designed to protect the rights of Indigenous women and girls. Despite its landmark status, Indigenous women at the UN repeatedly highlighted the critical lack of implementation and the persistent threats they continue to face.
"The international trauma and ongoing trauma is compounded each day, with more losses in our families and in our communities," stated Judy Wilson of the British Columbia Native Women’s Association. "This needs to change." Her plea reflects the profound and ongoing suffering experienced by Indigenous women and communities due to pervasive violence and systemic neglect.
Beyond physical violence, General Recommendation No. 39 outlines how systemic barriers significantly restrict Indigenous women’s access to fundamental rights, including education. Indigenous girls often face considerable hurdles in school enrollment and completion, exacerbated by a scarcity of culturally appropriate and Indigenous-controlled educational facilities. To dismantle these barriers, CEDAW urges states to provide targeted scholarships, expand financial aid, strengthen Indigenous-led education systems, and actively combat discriminatory stereotypes that limit educational opportunities for Indigenous girls globally.
Claire Charters noted that while discrimination against women is not a new phenomenon within Indigenous communities, dissecting its root causes remains a crucial and complex debate. "One focus or one question that often comes up is the extent to which Indigenous people discriminate against particularly our own women, and the extent to which that might be driven by colonization," Charters remarked, acknowledging the intricate interplay of internal and external factors contributing to gender-based violence and discrimination.
Em-Hayley Kākeha Walker, an artist from Ngāti Tipa, shared a sobering reflection on the disparities faced by Māori women in Aotearoa New Zealand. As of 2025, Māori women constitute 63 percent of the total female prison population. Furthermore, 49 percent of Māori women experience sexual or intimate partner violence, and are three times more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared to non-Māori women. In her address, Walker urged UN mechanisms to pressure Aotearoa New Zealand to ensure the rights of Indigenous women and girls are adequately protected. "Hear the cry of my people," she implored. "Our women, children and ancestors, who wish for our tapu [sacredness] and mana [authority] to be upheld." Her powerful statement served as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for action and accountability at all levels to address the multifaceted crises facing Indigenous peoples.
