While the UN climate negotiations of COP27 are under way in Sharm el-Sheikh, another notable event, the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Over this two-week session, 14 States have their human rights records examined. The UPR
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) released its General Recommendation on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls last week. The recommendation is the first-ever binding instrument focused specifically on the rights of Indigenous girls and women. CEDAW is a UN treaty body, under
Latin America is a violent environment for Indigenous leaders who are defending their territories from extractivist industries. The spiral of violence that Indigenous peoples are facing has again claimed a new victim, this time in Ecuador over the past weekend. Alba Bermeo Puin, a 24 year-old Indigenous defender and anti-mining
Today, in the United States, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It is a day that for far too long had been celebrated as Columbus Day, commemorating Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Bahamas in 1492, which for his fellow Europeans marked the discovery of the “New World”. Since the 1940s, Indigenous
The need for improved security of Indigenous activists has never been greater. Over the past few years, Land is Life’s team and network have experienced first-hand intimidation, harassment, and even violence at the hands of governments and other interests. Digital threats are one of several security issues that Land is
The Tanzanian government’s attempts to evict the Maasai from their ancestral lands in Loliondo have intensified over the past few months. Criminalization and stigmatization are used as a means to turn the territory of the Maasai into a game area for elite tourism. In June, we shared the struggle of the
