The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples observed annually on 9 August, serves as a United Nations platform to raise awareness and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Due to 9 August falling on a Sunday, the observance will be held online on Monday, 10 August 2026.
This year’s theme is: “Honouring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being”
This event also recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ achievements in addressing global issues like human rights, social and environmental justice, and environmental protection. It highlights our crucial role in shaping the world and the urgent need to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007.
The day was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994, marking the commencement of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations within the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1982.
“Indigenous Peoples live in all regions of the world and own, occupy or use some 22% of global land area. Numbering at least 370-500 million, Indigenous Peoples represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures. Despite their cultural differences, Indigenous Peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples continue to be confronted with marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations.”
Help spread the United Nations message on the protection and promotion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.