2026 Reports

Fulfilling The United Nations Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples: Resistance, Resilience And Hope––We Continue!

Costa Machado, Rodolfo; Omma, Inger-Ann; Stamatopoulou, Elsa

Reflections and contributions from the 2025 International Program on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Policy at Columbia University

The 2025 International Program on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Policy brought together an extraordinary group of people from around the world, participants and instructors, committed human rights advocates and visionary leaders. The initiative for this book-report sprang from our desire and hope to summon, as best we can, the experiences and knowledge that the participants and instructors from our course brought together. We are aspiring to leave something behind to those coming after us. This is a principle that characterizes Indigenous societies: to ensure that future generations can benefit from the knowledge and know-how that those before them have learned.

We have come from different parts of the world and learned from each other and the work we do at home. We have had the privilege of sharing knowledge and experiences with our siblings on Turtle Island and other parts of the world, and we have also experienced how much we have in common. How we view the universe, traditions, and knowledge can have an effect for those coming after us, so that they can have a brighter future based on respect for equality and an understanding of how Indigenous knowledge can be applied to the challenges the world faces.

Keywords: Indigenous Peoples' rights, Indigenous Peoples