Thank you, Chair.

Germany aligns itself with the EU statement.

We thank the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for convening this session and are grateful for the opportunity to participate.

Germany remains firmly committed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the International Labour Organization Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples which we ratified in 2021 - both serving as key normative frameworks guiding our foreign and development policies.

It is crucial that representatives of Indigenous peoples – especially women and children – can meaningfully participate in decision-making processes as equal partners, in order to secure their rights to land, territories and resources.

Indigenous Peoples are key partners in achieving sustainable development. Their traditional knowledge systems, cultural heritage, and deep relationship with the land offer invaluable contributions to climate action, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource management. Yet, Indigenous Peoples continue to face systematic discrimination, land dispossession, habitat destruction and pollution, and violations of their human rights.

The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved if Indigenous communities are marginalized or excluded. We must ensure that all SDGs - especially those relating to poverty eradication, health, education, gender equality, climate action, and peace - are implemented in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples, respecting their autonomy and priorities. These principles are essential if we are to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a way that is inclusive, just, and equitable.

Recognizing the ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples, particularly regarding adverse impacts to their environment and the insecurity of land tenure, we strive to protect and empower Indigenous Peoples in this context. Social and environmental protection rights are therefore firmly integrated into Germany’s international cooperation and development efforts.

For example, Germany supports the project “Living Land” in Brazil, which aims to strengthen the protection of human rights and particularly environmental rights of Traditional Peoples and Communities within their ancestral territories by developing innovative digital solutions.

The “Living Land” project addresses the lack of reliable data regarding the delienation of traditional territories, the cultural aspects of Traditional Peoples and Communities, and their contributions to climate protection.

At the local level, organizations and representatives of Indigenous Peoples are supported in strategic networking and advocating for their human rights.

Germany will remain committed to partnering with Indigenous Peoples and remains dedicated to advancing their rights, voices, and participation through inclusive, rights-based international cooperation.

Thank you.