International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples
We join the world celebrating the lives, cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples around the world in defending the environment and their persistence to care for the creation. Of the same importance, we recognize that in varied levels and forms, the Indigenous Peoples are faced with different battles.
The Filipino Katoliko Church in the Philippines stands in Solidarity to all Indigenous peoples in the Philippines and the world working for the realization of their rights, ancestral domain, and dignity.
Recognition, respect, restoration and protection of Indigenous knowledge and systems are very important for a just and sustainable Earth.
August 9, 2025
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12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
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We need indigenous communities for a better world
There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 6 per cent of the world’s population, but account for at least 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, Indigenous Peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
Indigenous Peoples have sought recognition of their identities, their way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories and natural resources for years. Yet, throughout history, their rights have been violated. Indigenous Peoples today, are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The international community now recognizes that special measures are required to protect their rights and maintain their distinct cultures and way of life.
In order to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.
– United Nations