Calls for Inputs: The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ Thematic Reports

The Implementation Project is excited to share another opportunity for international engagement: two calls for inputs by the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for his thematic reports.

Each year, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples submits two thematic reports on topics that are of concern to Indigenous Peoples around the world. The first report will be dedicated to the recognition of Indigenous Peoples at the national level. For States to effectively assume their obligations as duty-bearers for these rights, it is necessary that they recognize the unique Indigenous Peoples living within their territories. The Special Rapporteur wishes to explore how States are recognizing their Indigenous Peoples, and the difficulties Indigenous Peoples face in the recognition process.

The second report will be dedicated to the identification, documentation, registration, and titling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands. Indigenous Peoples lands are protected under Article 26 of the Declaration and the recognition and protection of this right is fundamental to Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination, their cultural identity, and livelihoods.

While almost anyone can submit input for these reports, the Special Rapporteur hopes to receive input from Indigenous Peoples to learn from their own experience. A few important things to remember:

• You do not need to answer every question listed in the call for input. Look through the questions and choose which you would like to respond to within the 4,000-word limit.
• You can request that your submission not be made public. Otherwise, the Special Rapporteur can reference specific submissions in his report.
• To see how your input might be used, please see past reports by the Office of the Special Rapporteur on the website here.

The written submissions for the recognition report must be received by March 28, 2025. The written submissions for the land demarcation report must be received by April 1, 2025. Both can be emailed to hrc-sr-indigenous@un.org.

The Implementation Project is happy to provide assistance to support the calls for input and can be contacted via emailing declaration@narf.org or following us on LinkedIn.