On October 17, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN gave an intervention before the Third Committee of the Seventy-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Agenda Item 65, dedicated to the “Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

In its statement, the Holy See underlined that the ongoing struggle of indigenous communities to preserve their heritage, languages, religious traditions and livelihoods is a concern for the whole world. Their approach to care for our common home and to social organization is a humane alternative to an exclusivist globalization. Indigenous peoples must be active agents and not passive beneficiaries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of the Paris Agreement. The Holy See advocated that timely, inclusive and transparent consultations, like those held last year during the 70th Session of the General Assembly between indigenous representatives and Member States, be pursued with greater vigor.

The statement can be found here.