COVID-19 recovery and indigenous peoples

While the planet waits to see whether there is a distinct end point to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO is working with indigenous peoples to consider elements necessary for a recovery process. The pandemic crisis highlighted inequalities while also shining light on new opportunities and creativity.

UNESCO has responded swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic by mobilizing its expertise and partnerships, in cooperation with other agencies of the United Nations, through its presence at country and regional levels, and through its network of Chairs and Centres. The partnerships with indigenous peoples’ organizations have been key to understanding their needs and contexts which shape UNESCO’s actions and which we have attempted to relay in this newsletter. UNESCO’s mandates create a nuanced interface of culture, sciences, educational expertise, information and communications – this multidimensional capacity has allowed the organization to respond to the complex social and economic impact of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.

The UNESCO Intersectoral Working Group on Indigenous Peoples issues has looked at the needs and opportunities to provide support in the context of UNESCO programme mandates and the UNESCO Policy on engaging with indigenous peoples. This first bulletin is an effort to share insights, analyses and lessons to be drawn from the current experience, recognizing that this is an ongoing emergency for many countries.

Indigenous peoples’ history has been shaped by the impact of pandemics over centuries. In a modern world with a high degree of economic and social connectivity, virologists have predicted for decades that we could experience a global pandemic. It turns out that 2020 was the year when the prediction became a global reality. Despite the virus having no intention other than self-reproduction, it has had a massive impact on societies and economies across the planet, and this has amplified issues of both preparedness and vulnerability. In this part of the bulletin, UNESCO reflects on lessons learnt and how we support recovery that is inclusive of indigenous peoples and their needs.

UNESCO recognizes its duties and opportunities in supporting Member States and the global community to recover, heal and build back better. The UN system has picked up the motto of ‘Build back better’ with a mind to greater attention to our natural environment, our development goals, and identifying where weaknesses have been exposed and where creative solutions help us move forward. Many communities will experience social, cultural and economic shocks which will require attention over time, working towards greater resilience and equity in how indigenous peoples are considered during this and future crises.

UNESCO recognises that emergency responses are enhanced where there are efficient mechanisms for dialogue between indigenous peoples and national authorities to implement culturally appropriate responses to current and future impacts of the pandemic. Good communication, including effective use of existing primary health care networks, accurate and timely information in appropriate languages, and involving those from within indigenous communities to help conceptualise prevention and care strategies. Spaces for participation and dialogue can address the current emergencies but also contribute to economic and social recovery plans.

The current crisis has highlighted the need to work towards transformational and green economy policies and systems that can reconcile health and nature (e.g. in sites designated under the auspices of UNESCO programmes or standard-setting instruments, such as Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks and Natural World Heritage Sites), while drawing upon intangible cultural heritage, knowledge and practices of local communities and indigenous peoples, building local supply chains and respecting domestic community economies. The Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) has highlighted the need to boost water management efficiency by integrating indigenous cultural practices.

UNESCO sites are learning spaces for actively and effectively involving indigenous peoples in prevention and mitigation of future threats. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is undertaking efforts to identify, recognize and map World Heritage properties of relevance to indigenous peoples and their interrelationship with elements inscribed on the lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Similarly, the Man and Biosphere and UNESCO Global Geoparks programme are collecting data on indigenous peoples and languages within these designated sites. These are important steps towards engaging in a sustained dialogue with indigenous peoples on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on their cultural heritage, livelihoods and their own preservation and safeguarding practices.

UNESCO promotes interculturality from a comprehensive and human rights perspective, in accordance with the global purposes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the seventeen goals to transform our world. The pandemic will likely reveal a major impact on achieving the SDGs and remedial actions necessary for the recovery process. In designing recovery, the situation of indigenous peoples within the SDG actions and the disaggregation of statistics related to their situation can contribute to culturally appropriate targeted actions and reliable results.

A number of rights-based issues have been raised during the first six months of pandemic which invite further dialogue and reflection in relation to UNESCO activities:

• Impacts vary substantially amongst indigenous peoples. Not all indigenous peoples experience additional vulnerability, others experience severe vulnerability. COVID-19 invites attention to human rights-based responses and analysis with regards to the most vulnerable or those subject to additional discrimination (e.g. sex, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, age, disability, etc.);
• There is evidence of a strong gender differentiation of impacts of the pandemic. Some communities reported a surge in teenage pregnancies, others observed that girls’ education may be permanently disrupted. Though there are great variations, attention to gender equality across communities requires attention;
• The pandemic has in some cases exacerbated existing social tensions. Discrimination, hate speech, racism or violence may arise during the pandemic and indigenous peoples require support through advocacy, strengthened monitoring and special protection measures;
• It appears productive to promote a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to mobilize and empower local governments in developing and implementing policies and programmes that address the disproportionate impact, already sustained and expected, on indigenous peoples.