Feedback After reviewing the state report of the Russian Federation and alternative materials provided by civil society, the UN Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights issued important recommendations, including a number of those related to the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples.
The rights of Indigenous peoples were covered in the alternative report prepared by the Institute of Ecology and Anthropology (INFOE), The International Committee of the Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR) with the participation of ADC Memorial. The report focused on issues such as the repression of Indigenous human rights defenders; suppression of civil society and knock-on Eefects on economic, social and cultural rights; deterioration of procedural rights: participation, consultation, consent; register of Indigenous persons excluding most of them from Indigenous rights; lack of disaggregated data; rights to land/territories of traditional nature use; destruction and displacement of indigenous communities: the case of Kazas; disproportionately high number of war victims among Indigenous communities; issues of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).
The authors of the report point out that it was difficult to prepare the report due to the atmosphere of fear and intimidation, which has increased significantly since the beginning of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Activists face long prison terms and many other forms of persecution for cooperating with international organizations, especially after Russia declared dozens of organizations with an agenda of protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, federalism, and self-determination “extremist” and “terrorist“ in 2024.
The state report does not contain disaggregated data on the Indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation, moreover, government agencies have stopped publishing key data. As in previous reporting periods, the federal government has again failed to create any federal-level Territories of Traditional Nature Use (TTNU) or to confirm any of the more than 500 TTNU created by local or regional administrations. Meanwhile, several amendments have further weakened the protective function of the TTNU, and courts and regional governments in various regions have taken steps to reduce the size of TTNU and remove areas which are key to Indigenous peoples’ subsistence activities and culture from them, to the benefit of extractive industries and other third parties.
In the wake of its aggressive war against Ukraine, Russia has severely constrained most remaining protections for Indigenous territories and fast-tracked their extractive exploitation. Instruments such as Civic Environmental Expert Reviews have become largely inaccessible. A state “register” or “list” of Indigenous persons has been introduced which effectively limits resource rights (hunting, fishing) as well as most other rights of Indigenous minority peoples to persons included in this register. Only a minority of members of Indigenous peoples are included in this list. Inclusion is subject to a highly bureaucratic and error prone process. Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine takes a disproportionate demographic toll on Indigenous minority peoples, partly because of involuntary draft, partly because Indigenous young men join the army because of rampant poverty. Negotiation processes described by the state party as “FPIC processes” have not in any way conformed to standard expectations towards such processes, since in the atmosphere of fear and intimidation, the genuine political will of indigenous communities cannot be realized.
Recommendations related to the Indigenous peoples, the UN CESCR, 78th session, September-October 2025
Business and economic, social and cultural rights
- 14. The Committee notes with concern the absence of a comprehensive national action plan on business and human rights, and the limited scope of legal obligations requiring companies under the State Party’s jurisdiction to conduct effective human rights due diligence. The Committee is also concerned about reports that environmental and social impact assessments, as well as consultation processes with affected local communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, including in the context of extractive activities, may not always be conducted in a manner that effectively prevents adverse impacts on the enjoyment of rights under the Covenant. The Committee is also concerned about reports indicating that companies under the jurisdiction of the State Party have been involved in activities abroad that have had serious adverse impacts on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights (arts. 2(1), 11, 12, 13–14 and 15).
- 15. The Committee recalls that, pursuant to article 2(1) of the Covenant, the State Party is required to take appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that non-State actors operating under its jurisdiction or effective control do not undermine the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. This includes ensuring that companies domiciled in – or operating under – its jurisdiction are subject to effective regulation and oversight, particularly when their operations have a foreseeable impact on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, including in situations where such impact occurs outside the State Party’s territory. Recalling its general comment No. 24 (2017) on State obligations under the Covenant in the context of business activities and its previous recommendation, the Committee thus recommends that the State Party:
a) Adopt a national action plan on business and human rights;
b) Ensure that business entities, including their suppliers, are held accountable for violations of economic, social and cultural rights, paying particular attention to Indigenous Peoples’ rights, environmental impacts and arbitrary expropriation, including in the context of extractive activities;
c) Ensure that business entities domiciled under the State Party’s jurisdiction and/or those acting abroad are held accountable for their violations of economic, social and cultural rights, including by considering adopting a binding legal framework requiring companies to conduct human rights due diligence, and to establish mechanisms ensuring civil, administrative or criminal accountability for violations of Covenant rights, including those occurring extraterritorially;
d) Ensure that victims of such violations have access to effective complaint mechanisms and affordable and effective remedies, including judicial remedies and adequate reparation.
Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- 16. Noting the information provided by the State Party regarding measures taken since the last review of the State Party in 2017, the Committee is concerned about:
a) The insufficient upholding of the right to free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples for any change to the use of their lands and territories and representation of Indigenous Peoples in local decision making bodies;
b) The limited access of Indigenous Peoples to healthcare, education and other basic services (arts. 1, 2 (1), 12 and 13).
- 17. Recalling its general comment No. 26 (2022) on land and economic, social and cultural rights, its previous recommendations, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Committee recommends that the State Party:
a) Expedite efforts to guarantee the right of Indigenous Peoples to own, use, control and develop the lands, territories and resources that they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired;
b) Take all measures necessary to guarantee that prior consultations are conducted in a systematic and transparent manner in order to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples in the context of decisions likely to affect them, notably before the granting of licenses for business activities in the lands and territories that they have traditionally possessed, occupied or used;
c) Take all measures necessary to ensure the full access of Indigenous Peoples to healthcare, education and other basic services;
d) Consider ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169).
Climate change mitigation
- 18. The Committee is concerned that the State Party’s continued reliance on natural gas and oil exports as major sources of revenue may present challenges in meeting its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. The Committee is also concerned about the potentially severe and disproportionate impacts of climate change in the Arctic region, which may affect other parts of the State Party’s territory and have significant consequences for the enjoyment of Covenant rights, particularly by Indigenous Peoples and other affected communities (art. 1).
- 19. The Committee recommends that the State Party take measures to achieve its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement by, inter alia, reviewing the 2023 Climate Doctrine of the Russian Federation; aligning its mitigation policies consistent with the pathway required under the Paris Agreement, introducing carbon pricing instruments, such as taxation on emissions; and expanding the production and use of renewable energy. It further recommends that the State Party phases out carbon emissions from fossil fuel as fast as possible in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. In this regard, the Committee recalls its statement on climate change and the Covenant.
Poverty
- 48. The Committee is concerned about the persistence of poverty in the State Party, and that the rates of poverty and extreme poverty remain particularly high among Indigenous Peoples and among disadvantaged and marginalized populations, as well as the disparities in living standards between urban and rural and/or remote areas (arts. 2 (2), 9 and 11).
- 49. The Committee recommends that the State Party intensify its efforts to combat poverty, in particular extreme poverty, by, inter alia, increasing the resources allocated to undertaking a thorough evaluation of existing programmes and strategies to identify obstacles and make the changes necessary to achieve desired poverty reduction targets, with particular focus on Indigenous Peoples, people living in rural and deprived urban areas, women and girls, persons with disabilities and ethnic and religious minorities, while ensuring the integration of a human rights-based approach. In this regard, the Committee recalls its statement on poverty and the Covenant.
Climate change adaptation
- 54. While welcoming the information provided by the State Party regarding various climate adaptation measures such as the Unified National System for Monitoring Climate Modifiers, as well as re-forestation projects, the Committee is concerned that the State Party’s measures may be insufficient to counter its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and forest fires, long-term changes from shifts in rainfall patterns, permafrost thaw, and increasing temperatures particularly in the arctic, disproportionately affecting Indigenous Peoples as well as other residents of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East (arts. 1 and 11).
- 55. The Committee recommends that the State Party ensure that its various climate change adaptation measures adequately take into account the needs of marginalized and disadvantaged groups, in particular Indigenous Peoples, residents of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East, and other affected communities, and respect economic, social and cultural rights.
Right to education
- 62. Noting the information provided by the State Party, the Committee is concerned about reports that school access, attendance, retention and completion rates at all levels, including at the secondary and post‑secondary school, are significantly lower for Roma children, children from other minorities, and children of Indigenous Peoples compared to the average population (arts. 2 (2) and 13-14).
- 63. Recalling its general comment No. 13 (1999) on the right to education, the Committee recommends that the State Party strengthen its efforts to reduce the school dropout rate and increase school access, paying particular attention to ensure that Roma children, children of minorities and children of Indigenous peoples enjoy equal opportunities in access to quality education. The Committee also recommends that the State Party review educational material, practices and curricula to ensure that they foster mutual understanding and are fully consistent with the Covenant.
Cultural rights
- 64. Noting the information provided by the State Party, the Committee is concerned about reports that people in areas under the effective control of the State Party continue to face severe restrictions in the realization of their right to take part in cultural life, including the right to use and teach minority languages, history and culture. The Committee is also concerned about reports of the large-scale campaign to systematically erase Ukrainian history, culture, cultural identity and language, rewriting historical curricula, and repressing local cultural symbols, as well as the general undermining of the linguistic identity of ethnic minorities in areas under the effective control of the State Party (arts. 2 (2), 13, 14 and 15).
- 65. Recalling its general comment No. 21 on the right of everyone to take part in cultural life, the Committee recommends that the State Party take the following measures in areas under its effective control:
a) Avoid involuntary cultural assimilation and ensure access to education in the native languages, including Ukrainian language, and uphold the right to cultural participation;
b) Take all necessary measures to ensure the full and unrestricted enjoyment by peoples and minorities of their right to enjoy fully their own cultural identity and take part in cultural life and to ensure the use and practice of their language and culture;
c) Refrain from measures that may adversely impact upon the rights of all segments of the population to take part in cultural life.
- 66. The Committee remains concerned about the risk of extinction of many indigenous languages. It also remains concerned about reports of arbitrary restrictions imposed on indigenous peoples’ culturally traditional means of livelihood, such as hunting and fishing (arts. 1, 2 (1) and 15).
- 67. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation that the State Party step up its efforts to promote and preserve indigenous languages, and that it repeals or amends any restrictions that could result in hampering indigenous peoples from sustaining their means of culturally traditional livelihood, including hunting and fishing.