UNGA81 Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Statement delivered by H.E. Ms. Sandra Jensen Landi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark
on behalf of the Nordic Baltic countries:
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden
New York, 12 October 2026
Mr. Chair,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and my own country, Denmark together with Greenland.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his comprehensive report on the demarcation, registration and titling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands, territories and resources. Nearly twenty years after the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a wide implementation gap persists.
We reaffirm Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination and their rights to lands, territories and resources. Recognition, demarcation and titling must give practical effect to rights that already exist.
We welcome the report’s attention to the different realities across the seven sociocultural regions, including those of mobile Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact, and Indigenous Peoples with marine and coastal territories. Relevant processes must be timely and adequately resourced, with the full, effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples through their own representative institutions.
A green transition is vital, but it must not create new injustices. States must engage in meaningful consultations and cooperate in good faith with Indigenous Peoples in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting measures or approving projects that may affect their lands, territories or resources as set out in UNDRIP.
Mr. Chair,
We are also alarmed by the criminalisation and violence faced by Indigenous Peoples’ human rights defenders. We reiterate that they must be able to promote and protect human rights without fear of intimidation or reprisals. States must protect defenders, investigate attacks and ensure accountability.
As we approach the twentieth anniversary of UNDRIP, progress must be measured by implementation.
Special Rapporteur, what practical steps should States prioritise to close the gap between legal recognition and effective protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to lands, territories and resources?
Thank you.