The European Union has urged the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to move from continued discussion towards concrete, practical and institutionally workable arrangements that strengthen Indigenous Peoples' participation in the Human Rights Council. In a statement delivered on 16 July 2026 at the 19th session of the Expert Mechanism in Geneva, the EU stressed that full, effective and meaningful participation should enable Indigenous Peoples to contribute to discussions and outcomes on issues affecting them, in line with self-determination, inclusion and free, prior and informed consent.
The EU statement, delivered under Item 9 on enhancing participation of Indigenous Peoples in the UN, welcomed progress achieved in recent years, including intersessional meetings held in 2024 and continued discussions under the Council. These steps, the EU said, represent important progress towards fulfilling commitments made at the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The EU also expressed support for recent measures taken by the Human Rights Council to enhance Indigenous Peoples' participation in its plenary debates.
what concrete priority actions would it recommend to advance implementation of the recommendations from the 2024 intersessional meetings and ensure meaningful participation ahead of the next steps in the process?
The EU's intervention reflects its ongoing engagement in UN forums on Indigenous rights, with no prior coverage of this specific session in recent months. The statement was issued by the Delegation of the European Union to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva.