Indigenous Peoples hold briefings with UN Country Team, diplomatic corps; call for state accountability over HR, FPIC, IHL violations

[TAGALOG] Mga Katutubo nagpulong kasama ang UN Country Team, diplomatic corps; nananawagan ng pananagutan ng estado sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao, FPIC, IHL

Thirty-two representatives from 18 Indigenous Peoples and advocate organizations across the Philippines met on October 23, 2025, with members of the United Nations (UN) Country Team and the diplomatic community to discuss the worsening situation of the Indigenous Peoples in the country.

The meetings with the UN Country Team and diplomatic community, organized by the Panaghiusa and the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, updated the current situation of Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous Peoples also raised alarms on the violations of human rights, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), following the increasing cases of militarization, aerial bombings, and strafings on Indigenous Peoples’ communities. 

Key Areas for Urgent Action

In light of the worsening human rights situation in Indigenous Peoples’ communities, the Indigenous Peoples called on the UN Country Team and the diplomatic community to support the calls of the Indigenous Peoples. 

On Accountability and Human Rights Protection. The delegates called for accountability from key perpetrators of all forms of state violence and human rights and IHL violations against the Indigenous Peoples and advocates. They demanded immediate, independent, and transparent investigations into the following cases:

• Killings of Kuni Kuba and Elioterio Ugking in Mindanao, Jay-El Maligday in Mindoro, and around 102 Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

• Enforced disappearance of Bontok-Ibaloi-Kankanaey Dexter Capuyan and advocate Bazoo De Jesus

• Militarization in Mindoro and other Indigenous Peoples’ communities

• Weaponization of laws, such as the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act and the Anti-Terrorism Law, against the Indigenous Peoples

• Criminalization of Indigenous Peoples, including the Molbog in Palawan

The delegates further called for the immediate dismissal of trumped-up charges and release of Indigenous Peoples political prisoners, including Dumagat Rocky Torres and Avelardo Avellaneda.

On Legal and Policy Reform. Participants asserted for legislative action that genuinely responds to the structural roots of rights violations. They called for:

• The passage of the People’s Mining Bill and the Human Rights Defenders Bill, both of which aim to protect Indigenous lands, resources, and defenders from exploitation and violence

• The repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Law and Executive Order No. 70, and the abolishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples

• The meaningful and direct participation of Indigenous women in the design, implementation, and monitoring of all national and regional policies on child protection and the prevention of gender-based violence

On Development and Self-Determination. The Indigenous Peoples highlighted the urgent need to uphold their right to FPIC. Indigenous communities emphasized that they are not inherently opposed to development; they stressed the urgent need to uphold the right of FPIC and self-determination, which guarantee their genuine participation in decisions affecting their ancestral lands and way of life. They called to stop destructive projects in ancestral lands, such as the Crescent Mining in Mankayan, Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc. in Itogon, Yamang Mineral in Abra, and Makilala Mining in Kalinga, Kaliwa Dam in Rizal and Quezon, Upper Tabuk Hydropower Projects and Saltan Dams in Kalinga, and the Gened Dams in Apayao, Pacific Coast City in Quezon, and agri-business plantations in North Cotabato.

The delegates also emphasized that genuine climate and energy solutions must be just, inclusive, and rights-based, recognizing Indigenous Peoples as stewards of biodiversity and indispensable partners in achieving sustainable, peaceful, and equitable transitions.

A Call for State Accountability

Members of Panaghiusa urged the UN Country Team and diplomatic community to issue statements of concern on the situation of the Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, citing the cases presented. They further urged them to support the call for accountability and independent investigations into all documented cases of human rights and IHL violations. 

Panaghiusa also called on the diplomatic community to support the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The delegates stated the urgent need to strengthen protection programs for Indigenous human rights defenders, who continue to face harassment, criminalization, and violence for their advocacy.

Panaghiusa’s engagement with the UN Country Team and the diplomatic community reflects its commitment to defending the rights of the Indigenous Peoples, including the full enforcement of General Recommendation No. 39 under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the overturning of the wrongful conviction of the Talaingod 13.

These briefings represent a critical step in raising Indigenous Peoples’ concerns within international cooperation frameworks. The network urged the international community to translate solidarity into sustained action, aligning policy and advocacy with the defense and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. #

Reference:

Rikki Mae Gono

National Coordinator

Panaghiiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights