Press Release: AIPP Calls for Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All Indigenous Peoples on Human Rights Day 2025

PRESS RELEASE

AIPP Calls for Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All Indigenous Peoples on Human Rights Day 2025
10 December 2025

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) joins the global community in marking Human Rights Day 2025 under the theme “Our Everyday Essentials”, highlighting how rights are essential for daily life. This reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) values – Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All. Yet across Asia, Indigenous Peoples continue to face systemic violations of our rights, persistent discrimination, and exclusion from decision-making. Despite states’ commitments, the realities on the ground reveal deep inequalities that undermine this year’s global theme.

Across the region, Indigenous communities experience heightened risks of land dispossession, criminalisation, and violence. Our territories remain targets of extractive and energy industries, so-called renewable energy projects, agribusiness, infrastructure, carbon markets and offsetting schemes, as well as conservation initiatives that proceed without respecting our rights to self-determination and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

In Malaysia, Indigenous communities in Sabah and Sarawak continue to confront logging, oil palm expansion, and infrastructure development that encroach upon their customary lands. Weak enforcement of land rights and decisions that favour commercial interests further restrict their access to justice. In Sabah, indigenous and small-scale farmers are opposing the proposed amendment to the Protection of New Plant Varieties (PNPV) Act 2004, which seeks to align it with UPOV 1991, as it risks undermining traditional seed practices and farmers’ rights[i]. In Peninsular Malaysia, Orang Asli communities are calling for amendments to the Orang Asli Act 134 to ensure that the law upholds their dignity, identity, land rights, and future.

In the Philippines, Indigenous Peoples continue to face red-tagging, surveillance, and fabricated charges. Militarization associated with mining, dams, and other extractive projects, often reinforced by aerial bombings and ground operations, has led to displacement, harassment, and serious threats to community safety. Fake and manipulated FPIC processes facilitated by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) further enable these destructive projects to advance despite strong community opposition and the lack of genuine respect for Indigenous rights. These violations persist amid systemic corruption that shields perpetrators from accountability and undermines the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In Indonesia, despite a glimmer of hope with the government’s commitment to accelerate the recognition of 1.4 million hectares of indigenous forest, large-scale palm oil, mining, and carbon-offset projects continue to overlap with Indigenous territories. Specifically in Papua, the expansion of land-based extraction industries is also accompanied by an expansion of military presence, which could exacerbate human rights violations of Papuan Indigenous Peoples[ii]. Recent floods and landslides have further exposed the environmental and human rights impacts of extractive industries, including mining operations, eucalyptus plantations for pulp and paper, and expanding oil palm estates on Indigenous lands[iii]. Community leaders defending their territories continue to face intimidation and criminalisation. For example, the Sihaporas Indigenous community in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra, is once again experiencing violence and destruction linked to powerful corporate and state-backed interests[iv].

In India, the recent passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, and the creation of the National Critical Mineral Mission highlight the prioritization of mineral extraction over environmental safeguards. The rapid expansion of mining in India, particularly in coal, uranium, gold, and other critical minerals, reflects a state-driven push to secure energy and strategic resources. State-owned and private companies are being granted large tracts of forest and Adivasi land, as seen in Sundargarh, Dima Hasao (Assam), and Durgapur, often bypassing local consent and raising concerns of dispossession and environmental degradation. Weak implementation of the Forest Rights Act leaves many without legal protection, while those resisting mining or industrial projects face arrests and harassment.

In Bangladesh, the human rights situation of Indigenous Peoples continues to be a concern, even under the current Interim Government. Indigenous Peoples continue to face systemic discrimination, land dispossession, militarisation, and violence – particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Cases of forced evictions, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of Indigenous activists and community leaders have intensified, while ongoing land grabs by private actors and state-backed interests remain unaddressed in both the CHT and the plains.  At the beginning of the year, a violent attack was carried out against Indigenous students and rights activists during their peaceful protest in Dhaka[v]. In September, another brutal act of violence occurred against Indigenous Peoples in the Khagrachari Hill District, resulting in the killing of at least three Indigenous individuals and injuries to dozens more[vi]. In October, the forced eviction of five Kole Indigenous families from their lands in the Rajshahi District further contributed to the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

In Nepal, in mid-2025 – the Supreme Court has directed all levels of government – federal, provincial, and local to adhere to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 when formulating laws, policies, and programs[vii]. However, Indigenous nationalities continue to be excluded from decision-making processes and face persistent challenges in securing land and resource rights. Hydropower, infrastructure, and conservation projects implemented without FPIC have led to displacement and loss of livelihoods, while Indigenous women and human rights defenders continue to face intimidation. AIPP also acknowledges LAHURNIP[viii], recipient of the 2025 Human Rights and Business Award[ix], for its courageous leadership in defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

In Cambodia, the new Environmental Code entered into force in June 2025. The nine-year drafting process did not ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, nor did it adequately reflect the inputs provided by Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and their representatives. Instead, the law omits the term Indigenous Peoples and replaces it with local communities. Further, the Environmental Code also restricts Indigenous Peoples from practicing rotational agriculture within protected areas— this is against the UNDRIP, which Cambodia has adopted, and undermining their culture and traditional ways of life. Indigenous communities continue to confront land concessions, agribusiness expansion, and conservation-related restrictions that limit access to their traditional territories. Land registration under the communal land titling system remains slow and incomplete, leaving many communities vulnerable to encroachment. Indigenous Peoples human rights defenders also face intimidation and legal harassment for advocating for their rightful lands and resources.

In Thailand, AIPP extends heartfelt congratulations to the Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT) and the Council of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (CIPT) for their unwavering advocacy and lobbying efforts since 2012, which culminated in the passage of the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Way of Life of Ethnic Groups on 6 August 2025[x]. However, challenges remain. The Urak Lawoi, also known as the Chao Lay, particularly on Lipe Island, continue to face eviction, land confiscation, and legal charges in their own territories, often justified in the name of eco-tourism development.

As states scale up climate and biodiversity conservation initiatives, by revising their National Determined Contribution (NDCs 3.0) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), Indigenous Peoples’ voices are often excluded—even though they play a central role as rightsholders in protecting biodiversity and sustaining ecosystems. Approaches that ignore FPIC and community leadership risk deepening inequality and worsening historical injustices.

AIPP welcomes the adoption of the two new ASEAN Declarations of the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment and the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace Towards Realizing Inclusive and Sustainable Development as important regional milestones, and urges ASEAN Member States and AICHR to ensure the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in their implementation[xi]. However, we remain concerned that Indigenous Peoples continue to be labelled merely as “vulnerable groups” rather than recognized as rights holders and environmental stewards. By overlooking AIPP’s non-negotiables[xii], the Declarations sideline the rights of millions of Indigenous Peoples who have long protected their lands, territories, and waters.

AIPP calls on states to uphold their human rights obligations and ensure that Indigenous Peoples fully enjoy freedom, equality, and justice by:

• Recognising Indigenous Peoples and our collective rights in national laws;
• Guaranteeing FPIC in all development, conservation, and climate-related activities;
• Ending criminalisation and violence against Indigenous Peoples’ human rights defenders;
• Guaranteeing access to justice for Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders and Indigenous Women Human Rights Defenders, ensuring the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and providing just, adequate, and culturally appropriate remedy and redress, and that perpetrators are held accountable.
• Restoring customary lands and addressing long-standing land conflicts;
• Ensuring effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples at all levels of governance;
• Implementing national and international standards related to Indigenous Peoples, including CEDAW General Recommendation No. 39, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)

On this Human Rights Day, AIPP honors the courage of Indigenous women, youth, persons with disabilities, and gender and sexually diverse individuals who continue to be part of the collective defense of our lands, territories, cultures, and rights. We also pay tribute to the Indigenous heroes who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for ancestral lands and self-determination, whose legacy guides and strengthens our movements today. Our leadership, resilience, and enduring sacrifices represent the foundation of a just and equitable future. AIPP reaffirms its commitment to advancing Indigenous rights across Asia and ensuring that freedom, equality, and justice are realized for all.

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

Click here to download the full press release Human Rights Day 2025

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Notes and references

[i] Borneo Post online. 17 November 2025. “Sabah indigenous farmers reject proposed Act amendments”. https://www.theborneopost.com/2025/11/17/sabah-indigenous-farmers-reject-proposed-act-amendments/

[ii] Project Multatuli. 5 December 2025. “Perang yang Timpang: 83.000 Pasukan Organik TNI-Polri dalam Agenda Kekerasan Indonesia di Papua”. Perang yang Timpang: 83.000 Pasukan Organik TNI-Polri dalam Agenda Kekerasan Indonesia di Papua

[iii] AIPP. 8 December 2025. “Urgent Appeal for Solidarity and Support: Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia Devastated by Floods and Landslides”. https://aippnet.org/urgent-appeal-solidarity-support-indigenous-peoples-indonesia-devastated-floods-landslides/

[iv] AIPP. 29 September 2025. “AIPP stands in solidarity with the Sihaporas Indigenous community of North Sumatra”. https://aippnet.org/aipp-stands-solidarity-sihaporas-indigenous-community-north-sumatra/

[v] AIPP. 31 January 2025. “A letter to Chief Adviser, Interim Government of Bangladesh to take urgent action on violent attacks on Indigenous students and bring all perpetrators to justice”. A letter to Chief Adviser, Interim Government of Bangladesh to take urgent action on violent attacks on Indigenous students and bring all perpetrators to justice – Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

[vi] AIPP. 7 October 2025. “AIPP Strongly Condemns the Brutal Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Khagrachari”. AIPP Strongly Condemns the Brutal Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Khagrachari – Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

[vii] LAHURNIP. 6 June 2025. “Nepal’s Supreme Court mandates federal, provincial, and local governments to comply with ILO 169 and UNDRIP”. https://www.lahurnip.org/news/155

[viii] AIPP. 26 November 2025. “AIPP congratulates LAHURNIP on receiving the 2025 Human Rights & Business Awards”. https://aippnet.org/aipp-congratulates-lahurnip-receiving-2025-human-rights-business-award/

[ix] Human Rights & Business Award. 24 November 2025. “LAHURNIP named 2025 recipient of Human Rights and Business Award”. https://www.humanrightsandbusinessaward.org/award-recipient/lahurnip/

[x] AIPP. 8 August 2025. “Victory for Indigenous Peoples in Thailand: Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact celebrates the passing of the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Way of Life of Ethnic Groups”. https://aippnet.org/victory-indigenous-peoples-thailand-asia-indigenous-peoples-pact-celebrates-passing-law-protection-promotion-of-the-way-life-ethnic-groups/

[xi] AIPP. 18 November 2025. “AIPP congratulates the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration”.

https://aippnet.org/aipp-press-statement-on-asean-declaration/

[xii] AIPP. 30 April 2025. “About the Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG) and our non-negotiables for the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights (ADER)”. https://aippnet.org/inclusion-indigenous-peoples-asean-environmental-rights-working-group-aer-wg-our-non-negotiables-asean-declaration-environmental-rights-ader/