Media Advisory
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
25th Session: 20 April – 1 May 2026
The 25th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII25) – a two-week session with a high-level dialogue and thematic discussions. The session will cover the special theme “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict”, human rights, financing for Indigenous Peoples and more. The Forum is a space to hear directly from Indigenous Peoples, their priorities, challenges, and solutions. It will also hear from UN platforms established within the UN system, whose work is guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The session will culminate in a report of recommendations.
WHEN: 20 April – 1 May 2026
WHERE: United Nations Headquarters, New York
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Opening ceremony: The opening ceremony will take place on 20 April in the General Assembly Hall from 11 am to 1 pm. It will start with a ceremonial sounding and the Members of the Permanent Forum entering from the right side of the General Assembly Hall and walking toward the center aisle. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will declare the opening of the session. Tadodaho Sid Hill, Chief of the Onondaga Nation, will deliver the ceremonial welcome address.
Statements will be delivered by the Chairperson of UNPFII; H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.E. Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the General Assembly; H.E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of Economic and Social Council; H.E. Mary Simon, Governor General, Canada and Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- Interactive high-level dialogue on “Indigenous Peoples and climate change: articles 3, 4, 25 and 26 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”: The dialogue will take place on 20 April from 3 pm to 6 pm in Conference Room 4. Speakers will include Luisa Castañeda Quintana, Executive Director Land is Life; Magaly Ruiz Cajas, Member of the Judiciary Council Ecuador.
- Discussion on the theme “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict”: The discussion will take place on Tuesday 21 April from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm in Conference Room 3. Speakers will include Werner H Obermeyer, Director WHO; Pio Smith, Deputy Executive Director (Programme) UNFPA; Marcos Orellana, Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights; and Sandra Del Pino, Advisor on Cultural Diversity, from the Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity Department PAHO.
- Cultural event and exhibition opening: A cultural event will be held on 21 April from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in the Sputnik area at UN Headquarters. It will feature music and artistic expressions of Indigenous Peoples from around the world, including Andean Music Band “Aya Uma”. The opening of the exhibition “Walking with the Earth: Nomadic Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Wisdom, and Global Futures” will also take place during the Cultural event.
PROGRAMME: The complete programme of the session is available on our website here.
INDIGENOUS MEDIA ZONE
The United Nations, in partnership with Cultural Survival, is organizing an Indigenous Media Zone from 20 to 24 April 2026 to provide Indigenous media and journalists an opportunity to report on the session through Indigenous Peoples’ worldviews, perspectives and languages and organize media events. Non-Indigenous media are also welcome to join the Indigenous Media Zone. Further, aligned with the International Decade on Indigenous Languages, the Indigenous Media Zone encourages the participation of Indigenous media practitioners in a variety of Indigenous languages from different regions.
The Indigenous Media Zone will provide a working space equipped with Wi-Fi and a main stage for interviews, panel debates, and discussions with experts, human rights defenders, delegates, and more.
The Media Zone will be located on the 3rd floor of the UN Secretariat building from 20 to 24 April. It will be open from10 am to 6 pm each day except on Monday, 20 April when it opens at 2 pm. For more information, please visit the event website.
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
Journalists and media professionals with professional recording equipment (photo/video cameras, audio equipment, etc.) are required to have United Nations media accreditation to attend the 25th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. All information regarding media accreditation and supporting resources are available on the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit’s website. Questions can be directed to malu@un.org or +1 212 963 6934.
MEDIA ACCESS & WORKSPACES
Accredited media personnel have access to all open meetings in the media-designated areas within Conference Rooms, Chambers, and the General Assembly Hall.
Photographing and video recording are only permitted from the media booths within the meeting rooms. Stand-ups, interviews, flash photography and lighting equipment are not permitted in the media booths while a meeting is taking place. Tripods should be on the floor of the media booths, secured by harness as allocated inside the booths. Leaning out of booth windows with or without equipment is not permitted.
Camera crews and photographers must be escorted to the media booths by the MALU office liaisons on the second floor of the Secretariat Building (S-0250). Print media do not require an escort to access seating galleries at open meetings. The seating galleries of Conference Room 4 and the General Assembly Hall are accessible from the Visitors’ Entrance lobby of the General Assembly Building.
Accredited media personnel have open access to work at unassigned desks in the 4th floor media bullpen area during the hours of operation. Accredited media may also book the enclosed and soundproofed DGC Studio, which would need to be booked in advance by email to malu@un.org. All gear and equipment (cameras, lighting, audio, etc.) are the responsibility of each production crew.
For more information, please see the media guidelines.
UNPFII25 SESSION
The theme of the 25th UNPFII session is “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict”. Indigenous Peoples’ understanding of health and wellbeing takes a broad and holistic approach, encompassing spiritual, cultural, environmental and social dimensions that are interconnected with physical and mental health and wellbeing. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to their traditional medicines and health practices and to access health and social services on a non-discriminatory basis. Despite this, Indigenous Peoples continue to face significant health inequities, which are further compounded by conflict, insecurity, environmental degradation, climate change, and socio-economic marginalization. Addressing these disparities requires sustained, integrated approaches that recognize the interconnected relationships between health, lands, cultures, language, and ecosystems.
The 25th session of UNPFII will also include an interactive high-level dialogue focused on “Indigenous Peoples and climate change: articles 3, 4, 25 and 26 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”.
A full day will be dedicated to human rights discussions, including dialogues with the Special Rapporteur and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Additional discussions will cover the Forum’s six mandated areas – economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health, and human rights – in alignment with the UN Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ABOUT UNPFII
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is a high-level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council established in 2000 to deal with Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The Forum, comprised of 16 independent experts functioning in their personal capacity, provides expert advice and recommendations on Indigenous issues to the UN System through ECOSOC; raises awareness and promotes the integration and coordination of relevant activities within the UN System; and disseminates information on Indigenous issues.
The 10-day annual session of the UNPFII is the largest international gathering of Indigenous Peoples, with more than 1000 participants attending annually. The Forum has increasingly been recognized as the global platform for dialogue, cooperation, and concrete action on Indigenous Peoples, with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the fundamental framework.
MEDIA CONTACTS
- UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Inclusive Social Development, Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch | Julie Bryhn | julie.bryhn@un.org
- UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs | Helen Rosengren | rosengrenh@un.org
- UN Department of Global Communications | Paulina Kubiak Greer | kubiakp@un.org
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