Skip to main content

OHCHR and Indigenous Peoples

Greenland-UN7263022

About Indigenous Peoples and human rights

Attacks on Indigenous Peoples’ human rights defenders have increased dramatically in recent years for defending their collective rights to lands, territories and resources. Their cultures continue to be threatened, and the protection and promotion of their rights resisted. These conflicts and human rights violations result in the displacement and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous women and girls face additional forms of discrimination. They are three times more likely to experience sexual violence compared to non-indigenous women. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, the lack of legal recognition and the lack of disaggregated data are contributing to the invisibility of Indigenous Peoples, compounding the discrimination they face. This calls for reinvigorated efforts to address the negative legacy of historical injustices, discrimination, and assimilation that Indigenous Peoples have been subjected to over centuries. 

Read more about Indigenous Peoples and human rights.

Our work on indigenous issues

The UN Human Rights Office carries out a range of country-specific and regional activities to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples. In particular, we:

Read more about OHCHR’s work on Indigenous Peoples and human rights.

Key documents


CEB Call to Action on Building an Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Future with Indigenous Peoples (2020)


UN System Wide Action Plan on Indigenous Peoples (2015)


Fact Sheet 9: Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Human Rights System (2013)


UNDRIP: A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions (2013)

Latest reports