The European Union has called for moving from continued discussion to concrete, practical and institutionally workable arrangements to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations Human Rights Council. In a statement delivered on 16 July 2026 at the 19th session of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, the EU reiterated its strong commitment to actively engage in efforts to ensure full, effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples' representatives and institutions in relevant UN bodies, including Human Rights Council meetings, on issues affecting them.
The EU welcomed progress achieved in recent years, including intersessional meetings held in 2024 and continued discussions under the Council, which it described as important steps toward fulfilling commitments made at the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The statement emphasised that participation should enable Indigenous Peoples to contribute effectively to discussions and outcomes in accordance with the principles of self-determination, inclusion and free, prior and informed consent.
The EU also posed a question to the Expert Mechanism, asking what concrete priority actions it would 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 statement was delivered under Item 9 of the session's agenda, which focuses on enhancing Indigenous Peoples' participation in the United Nations.
No prior coverage of this specific EU statement exists in the available record.