7-16 March 2023, UNHQ, NY

Indigenous women are found in different context and situations of marginalization be it in the urban centers or rural and geographically isolated areas. They share a common history of discrimination due to their identities as indigenous women. Part of this is the continuing inaccessibility of the basic foundations for empowerment: quality and appropriate education and health services. These already presents a wide gap to fill for indigenous women and girls, alone.

Set against the backdrop of big business and weak governance, the current situations of  development aggression, exclusive conservation, militarism and reprisals against indigenous women human rights defenders and their communities, resulting to  massive displacement,  violence against indigenous women and girls,  loss of indigenous lands, territories and resources,  indigenous knowledge, lifeways and practice that are essential in the combat  against  global warming and biodiversity loss, can all be linked to the advancements in innovation, technology and digitization. Social media, for example, is being maximized to spread disinformation and vilify indigenous women and youth defending their lands and territories, in the Philippines, posing danger to their lives and families.

Human survival is dependent on a robust biodiversity, partially managed by indigenous women through collective indigenous knowledge and practice. Technology and innovation, however, has been undermining indigenous women and their communities resulting to disenfranchisement and the appropriation of their knowledge with corrosive impacts on indigenous culture and identity especially among the youth.

Their invisibility in official statistics, further, speaks of this continuing discrimination.

We reiterate paragraph 61 (o) of the agreed conclusions of the UNCSW 62nd session (N2107907) on the need for data disaggregation to inform policies and initiatives including on innovation and technological change and education on the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls especially in relation to the historically marginalized women like indigenous, differently-abled, rural women, among others.

We, indigenous women, recognize the value of innovation, technology and education in the digital age and are in fact exploring all these as tools for our advantage but there are huge barriers that cannot be overcomed by our efforts alone.  In this era of fast technological advances, there is a need to stop and address the structural barriers that impede the realization of inclusive and sustainable development that we all have committed to.

We, indigenous women, highly appreciate the work and effort of the UNCEDAW for the Adoption of the CEDAW General Recommendation No. 39 on the   Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls (2022).

With other indigenous women across the globe, we recommend that this 67th Session endorse   a resolution adopting CEDAW GR 39 as the minimum standard and basic framework for the Global Digital Compact and in all policy reform and development initiatives in response to the SDGs, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of indigenous women and girls in diverse contexts. Specifically, the resolution should urge:

1.    States to take urgent action on and allocate sufficient resources into the effective operationalization of GR 39 in compliance to their commitments to the CEDAW, the UNDRIP and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly targets 23, 22 and 21, among others.  General Recommendation 39 provides a framework towards the achievement of empowerment of indigenous women and girls necessary for inclusion and the achievement of SDG 5. In this regard, states are also urged to take on paragraph 61 (o) of the agreed conclusions of the UNCSW 62nd session (N2107907) on the need for data disaggregation, particularly based on ethnicity as we, further, reiterate    the recommendations in relation to the empowerment of indigenous women and girls in digital technology and education by the UNESCO – IITE Policy Brief on ICTs and Indigenous Peoples;

2.    States, donor and development agencies to invest on the effective integration of the principles and provisions of GR 39 into their gender and social inclusion strategies, plans and programmes including in the monitoring, evaluation and redress processes.   

Thank you for your attention!

Contact: Eleanor P. Dictaan – Bang-oa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.