Feedback The first material responds to the Special Rapporteur’s request for the inputs for his report, which will be presented at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2025. The report will focus on the identification and recognition of Indigenous peoples by states. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that misunderstandings regarding the recognition of indigenous peoples, lack of clear definitions, ambiguous terminology and legal frameworks continue to hinder the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international instruments on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Therefore, in his report, he intends to consider ways and means of overcoming obstacles and promoting best practices related to the recognition of Indigenous peoples by states and the elimination of historical injustice.
The second material is intended for the annual report of the Special Rapporteur, which will be presented at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in October 2025. Its theme is ”Identification, Documentation, Demarcation, Registration, and Titling of Indigenous Peoples’ Lands: Practices and Lessons Learned”. The Special Rapporteur is going to assess the existing legal framework, principles, procedural mechanisms and problems of their implementation, identify best practices and make recommendations for strengthening the land rights of indigenous peoples around the world.
Responding to the questions posed by the Special Rapporteur on these two topics, ADC Memorial and ICIPR inter alia draw attention to the fact that criminalization of activists and defenders of the rights of Indigenous peoples in modern Russia actually makes it impossible for Indigenous peoples to have a dialogue with the state and hinders the full recognition of Indigenous peoples and their rights.