Photo credit: UN.
Franciscans International participated in the twenty-fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York. While progress has been made on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum noted that Indigenous peoples still face significant barriers and urged Member States to take specific actions, including by taking “concrete measures to uphold their individual and collective rights […].”
In his opening statement, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored that while Indigenous peoples are the “pre-eminent stewards of the world’s biodiversity and of the environment”, they are also “on the front line of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss — despite having done nothing to create these crises and everything to try to stop them.”
At the Forum itself, many speakers and interventions focused on the so-called ‘green transition’ and related demand for critical minerals. Speakers underscored a context of ‘green colonialism’ whereby minerals are often found on Indigenous territories, with extraction occurring without the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples.
Indeed, issues related to climate change, environmental degradation, and extractivism are consistently underscored to FI by its partners throughout the world. This was most recently highlighted during a FI mission to Guatemala, where land rights, environmental protection, and the defense of natural resources were identified as key concerns.
On April 24, Franciscans International co-organized an event titled “Human Rights Situation of Indigenous Peoples in West Papua.” The side event provided a general overview of the situation in West Papua, how Indigenous peoples are recognized under relevant national and international frameworks, and information on the impacts of extractive and other projects on Indigenous peoples in West Papua.
FI also participated in events as part of their coordination with the Mining Working Group, including a global dialogue with Indigenous peoples to share experiences and foster greater solidarity, and an event on Extractives, Critical Minerals and Land Grabbing from the Lens of Indigenous Peoples.
At the same time, Franciscans International’s board held meetings and a public event in New York City. The event, which took place on May 1, was focused on the lead up to the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil in November 2025. Speakers for the event included: Sister Joan Brown, who discussed the Canticle of Creatures in the context of the current triple planetary crisis; Beth Piggush, a Laudato Si Promoter who focused on integral ecology and the right to a healthy environment; and FI staff members Marya Farah and Budi Tjahjono, who discussed FI’s work on business impacts on the environment and the need for accountability, and FI’s previous advocacy and upcoming plans for COP30.