Madam Chair,

Germany thanks the Permanent Forum for convening this session and welcomes the opportunity to engage in this important dialogue.

Germany remains firmly committed to strengthening and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples. With a human rights-based approach as the foundation of our international cooperation, we work to fully implement international law, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Convention No. 169, which we ratified in 2021, to address systemic causes of discrimination and violence.

Indigenous women must be able to participate meaningfully and safely in decision-making. Yet they often face intersecting discrimination, limited access to resources, and higher exposure to gender-based violence. Germany promotes gender-transformative approaches and strengthens Indigenous women’s leadership in human rights mechanisms, climate processes, and other decision-making fora, thereby supporting their right to self-determination.

Allow me to highlight two examples from our bilateral cooperation:
• In Brazil, we support initiatives that empower Indigenous women as defenders of their lands and ecosystems, crucial for biodiversity and climate governance.
• In Peru, we strengthen the capacities in the justice system to prevent and prosecute violence against women, using intercultural approaches to better protect all women.

Germany is committed to ensuring that its international cooperation and economic activities respect human rights, in line with the principle of free, prior and informed consent.

In conclusion, implementing General Recommendation No. 39 is integral to Germany’s commitment to gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development and is closely aligned with Germany’s feminist development policy. We will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous women and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, to translate these commitments into tangible, inclusive and lasting change.

Thank you.