Indigenous peoples’ relationship to their lands, territories and resources is at the heart of their identity, well-being and culture. Preservation of the environment, transmitted through traditional knowledge passed down through generations, is at the centre of their existence. As the world is increasingly recognizing the negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on health, food security and overall peace and security, the importance of indigenous knowledge and territorial rights is beginning to be more fully acknowledged by society at large.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers further opportunities to promote the rights of indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources due to its integrated approach to economic, environmental and social development within a human rights framework — providing space to demonstrate how indigenous stewardship of lands, territories and resources can accelerate the implementation and achievement of sev-eral Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).This publication offers a wide-ranging perspective on indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories and resources, analysing legislation and agreements at the national and international levels as well as customary law.

Land and resource issues, particularly the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their lands, has been at the forefront of the deliberations of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues since its inception, with two dedicated thematic sessions held in 2007 and 2018. The lack of formal recognition, non-implementation or abolition of collective land rights in many countries continues to make indigenous peoples highly vulnerable to displacement, poverty, discrimination and marginalization. Indigenous lands contain-ing natural resources sought after for extraction have regularly been the source of disputes and conflict. The intensification of natural resource exploitation is adversely affecting indigenous peoples’ lands and territories and rapidly dispossessing them of their primary sources of livelihood.

Violent conflicts directly related to land issues are increasing, and indigenous peoples are suffering systematic human rights violations, internal displacement, the loss of cultural identity, the destruction of livelihoods, poverty, permanent environmental damage, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity in their traditional lands and territories. In addition, over the past decade, there has been an expansion in agribusiness, ris-ing demand for more land to source “green” fuels, and the adoption of conservation measures that have restricted indigenous peoples’ access to their lands and resources. The growing demand for greater “economic productivity” from indigenous lands and resources is reflected in the increasing number of agreements made with investors by third parties that have failed to obtain free, prior and informed consent from indigenous residents. These circumstances are contributing to the rising incidence of land-grab-bing, forced evictions, relocations, and reprisals against human rights defenders.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination (articles 3 and 4), their collective right to own and control their lands and resources (articles 25-27), their right to free, prior and informed consent in relation to legislation, measures and projects that may have an impact on their rights (articles 10, 11, 19, 28, 29 and 32) and their right to participate in decision-making processes (articles 5, 18 and 27).