Turning Doha Political Declaration into Action for Indigenous Peoples

AIPNEE logo

On 24 February 2026, at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in Bangkok, AIPNEE Convenor, Prabindra Shakya, delivered a statement on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples’ Constituency of APRCEM during a High-level Multistakeholder Panel. His intervention focused on ensuring that the Doha Political Declaration translates into concrete, rights-based actions for Indigenous Peoples across Asia and the Pacific.

While welcoming State commitments to inclusive societies and supporting and recognizing Indigenous Peoples in their pursuit of economic and social development in the Declaration, the statement stressed that the Declaration does not fully reflect the breadth of Indigenous Peoples’ realities. In many countries in the region, Indigenous Peoples remain unrecognized in law - and even where recognition exists, the protection and implementation of our collective rights remain weak, particularly regarding lands, territories and resources, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and self-determination.

The statement reaffirmed that sustainable development must be grounded in international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention 169. Without full legal recognition and enforcement of these standards, commitments under the 2030 Agenda risk remaining aspirational rather than transformative.

Despite systemic barriers, Indigenous Peoples are advancing their own self-determined socio-economic initiatives rooted in community governance, sustainability and intergenerational stewardship. 

The call to States, UN agencies and development actors was clear: move towards genuine partnership with Indigenous Peoples - including through adequate, direct, flexible and sustained financing for Indigenous-led initiatives, alongside access to technology, data systems and supportive policy frameworks.

The intervention concluded with a firm reminder: Indigenous Peoples are not mere stakeholders or beneficiaries of development. We are rightsholders - owners and guardians of our lands, territories and resources - with the inherent authority to determine the pathways of development within our territories.