Draft:Land is Life

Introduction

Land is Life is a global coalition of Indigenous Peoples’ communities and organizations dedicated to advancing the self‑determination and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples across the world’s seven socio‑cultural regions.[^1] Land is Life participates in local, regional, and international advocacy, supporting Indigenous Peoples’ participation in decision-making processes that affect them. The organization has been covered by environmental media for work connected to international conservation forums for its involvement in international conservation agreements. For example, at Climate Week in 2024, Land is Life Executive Director discussed Indigenous Peoples’ perspectives on forest governance as part of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Forest Tenure pledge in the lead-up to COP30.[^2]

Land is Life works in multiple global regions, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, areas where Indigenous Peoples engage in international development dialogues and policy discussions.[^3] According to the organization, it is based in New York City, with regional coordinators based in Kenya, Colombia, India, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and the Philippines.[^4] Land is Life holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which allows accredited NGOs to attend sessions, submit written statements, and engage in relevant United Nations processes.[^5]

History

Land is Life traces its origins to the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples on Territories, Environment and Development, known as *Kari-Oca I*, held in Rio de Janeiro in May 1992.[^6] More than 1,000 Indigenous Peoples’ delegates from every inhabited continent signed the Kari-Oca Declaration and the Indigenous Peoples’ Earth Charter, calling for global recognition of collective territorial rights. Participants subsequently formed Land is Life to continue coordination across regions.[^7]

During the 1990s and early 2000s, it organized training related to participation in UN processes, including the Working Group on the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity.[^8] Its staff also partnered with legal clinics to support land-tenure cases in Ecuador and Nicaragua.[^9]

Land is Life also fostered dialogue between Indigenous Peoples’ communities and international development agencies, advocating for the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) to be respected in projects affecting Indigenous Peoples’ territories. At the local and national levels, the coalition supported Indigenous Peoples’ leaders in land and rights processes, often working alongside allied organizations in advocacy campaigns.[^10]

In 2012, Land is Life gained special consultative status with ECOSOC, which expanded its avenues for engagement in UN proceedings related to Indigenous Peoples’ issues.[^11] The organization also coordinated the Kari-Oca II summit parallel to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012.[^12] In 2019, Land is Life produced the first regional studies on Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in South America, co-founding The International Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI), an international working group advocating for PIACI rights.[^13]

Land is Life has participated in environmental and human rights conferences. The leadership of Land is Life has also been active in global Indigenous Peoples’ mechanisms. For example, co-founder Brian Keane served as member and Rapporteur of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues from 2017 to 2019.[^14]

Governance

Land is Life’s governance model is led by Indigenous Peoples and is supported by governance mechanisms intended to provide transparency, responsiveness, and accountability. According to the organization, strategic direction is set by a Governing Council composed of Indigenous Peoples’ organizations from the seven socio-cultural regions recognized by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) by consensus.[^15] The Board of Directors provides legal and fiscal oversight, facilitating the execution of Council-defined strategies. This structure is intended to align organizational priorities with community input.[^16]

Programs and Initiatives

Land is Life implements programs that support Indigenous Peoples, focusing on grassroots leadership, rights-related work, and capacity building. Key program areas include:

• Indigenous Women’s Program: Supports Indigenous women’s leadership, community organizing, and rights‑based education across several regions.[^17] Activities under this program include capacity-building training sessions, support for Indigenous women-led organizations, advocacy work, and fellowships.[^18] In 2025, the human rights organization Just Associates reported on Land is Life’s collaboration with Cambodian activists addressing land grabbing and deforestation.[^19]
• FPIC Program: According to Land is Life’s reports, the FPIC program focuses on self-determination, governance, climate change, and biodiversity, including initiatives related to sustainable livelihoods, traditional agriculture.[^20] Published materials include community-level guidance such as the *Tacana Protocol* and case resources like the *Libro Sarayaku* annex and the *Serena* booklet.[^21]
• Indigenous Food Security and Sovereignty Program: Supports sustainable livelihoods and traditional agriculture, reinforcing food systems and resilience within Indigenous Peoples’ territories.[^22]
• Indigenous-Led Security Fund (ILSF): It is a global emergency initiative, coordinated by Indigenous leaders, that provides rapid-response support. Established in 2019, the fund operates in Sub-Saharan Africa, Amazon basin, Asia, and Mesoamerica, delivering legal, medical, psychosocial, relocation, and spiritual assistance to Indigenous human rights defenders facing urgent threats. The program also supports physical and digital security training, advocacy for political prisoners, and community-based protection systems. An external evaluation by Ajabu Advisors notes that the Indigenous-led Security Fund includes training in digital and physical security and provisions such as fencing and security cameras.[^23] Since its founding, the ILSF has supported over 200 Indigenous Peoples and 80 Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in Africa, 32 organizations in Asia, and 78 defenders in Mesoamerica, with over 220 grants issued across the Amazon Basin, benefiting more than 250,000 Indigenous Peoples.[^24] The Matthew Good Foundation has provided support to projects focused on the economic empowerment of Pygmy women.[^25]
• Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) Program: Seeks to strengthen Indigenous Peoples' participation in policymaking processes by advocating for PIACI rights, monitoring regional threats, and supporting legal and policy interventions internationally.[^26]
• Advocacy and Campaigns: Land is Life conducts global advocacy, submits joint communications to UN entities, and supports legal interventions to defend Indigenous Peoples’ territories and rights.

Impact and Recognition

Land is Life has worked in international policy forums and with local partners.[^27] Its accreditation with the UN (via ECOSOC consultative status since 2012\) has allowed it to host side events, submit formal statements, coordinate Indigenous-led advocacy efforts at the UN level[^28] and directly engage with UN entities in deliberations affecting Indigenous Peoples.[^29]

The organization was actively involved in the preparations for the 2012 Rio+20 summit: it coordinated with the Kari-Oca II Indigenous Peoples Conference and the associated caravan that brought Indigenous Peoples’ representatives from across South America to Rio de Janeiro.[^30]

At the grassroots level, Land is Life supports legal support and advocacy campaigns, enabling Indigenous Peoples to defend their land rights against harmful projects, land grabbing, and extractive industries. Its emphasis on community-driven FPIC protocols supports Indigenous Peoples in negotiations with governments and corporations.[^31]

Land is Life works to influence funders to increase investments in Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination, ensuring resources flow to their own priorities and governance.[^32] In 2024, Land is Life partnered with 45 Indigenous Peoples’ organizations to provide recommendations for the Forest Tenure Funders Group's Pledge 2.0 initiative. These recommendations addressed approaches for funders to support Indigenous-led land-tenure projects.[^33]

Land is Life participates in international Indigenous Peoples’ rights governance. Its representatives frequently participate in global conferences, such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), and have co-organized side events in collaboration with regional coalitions like GTI-PIACI, University of Arizona, and several national and regional Indigenous Peoples’ organizations. In 2023, *Mongabay* reported that Land is Life assisted Maasai representatives in obtaining travel funding, medical support, and an opportunity to present their concerns about alleged human rights abuses to the UNPFII.[^34]

In addition to its current programming, Land is Life has invested in Indigenous youth-focused initiatives to cultivate future Indigenous leaders. In 2022, it launched *Runa Yachay* (“The People’s Knowledge” in Kichwa), a grassroots school and mentorship program in Ecuador that provided Indigenous youth with leadership training, cultural education, and environmental stewardship skills. The organization also previously facilitated Indigenous youth exchanges and forums that enabled Indigenous youth from different regions to share experiences and collaborate on issues such as climate change and traditional knowledge preservation.[^35] Land is Life has collaborated with other Indigenous-led organizations and networks, such as Cultural Survival, First Peoples Worldwide, and regional organizations, on advocacy and policy reports.

In 2019, Land is Life was a co-author of a joint stakeholder submission for the Universal Periodic Review of the United States before the UN Human Rights Council, alongside the Gwich’in Steering Committee, Cultural Survival, First Peoples Worldwide, and the University of Colorado’s American Indian Law Clinic.[^36] Land is Life has also participated in urgent interventions, such as a joint request to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination regarding Arctic drilling projects without Gwich’in consent.[^37] Peer organizations have described Land is Life as “a unique and effective Indigenous-led organization” at the forefront of defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. [^38]

In 2019, Land is Life published a regional study on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact in South America. This report, produced in collaboration with local Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, documented the legal, territorial, and environmental threats facing PIACI communities in the Amazon Basin. Following this research, Land is Life co-founded the Grupo de Trabajo Internacional para los Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento y Contacto Inicial (GTI-PIACI), an international working group dedicated to coordinating advocacy for PIACI rights.[^39]

In 2025, Land is Life submitted an amicus curiae brief to Ecuador’s Constitutional Court, providing a critical analysis of international FPIC standards in a case involving oil extraction in Indigenous Peoples’ territories in Pastaza province.

Funding partners have highlighted Land is Life’s Indigenous-led grantmaking model and longstanding frontline advocacy. The organization's 2024 Annual Report noted collaboration with 95 Indigenous Peoples’ partner organizations across 35 countries, with 91% of its funding directly supporting Indigenous Peoples’ communities.[^40] As of 2024, the organization reports collaboration with Indigenous Peoples’ partners across multiple countries.[^41]

References

Ajabu Advisors. 2020\. *Land is Life Indigenous-led Security Fund Evaluation*, November 4, 2020\. Accessed August 14, 2025\. https://landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Land-is-Life-Evaluation-Ajabu-Advisors.pdf

Benevity Causes Portal. (2025, June 24). *Land is Life Inc.* Benevity. [1](https://causes.benevity.org/causes/840-223101280)

Candid/GuideStar. (n.d.). *Land Is Life, Inc. — profile (EIN 22-3101280)*. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from https://www.guidestar.org/profile/22-3101280

Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. (2020, February 25). *Video: Indigenous-led security and digital safety* \[Video\]. University of California, Berkeley. [2](https://cltc.berkeley.edu/2020/02/25/video-indigenous-led-security-and-digital-safety/)

Charity Navigator. (n.d.). *Rating for Land Is Life Inc.* Retrieved August 11, 2025, from [3](https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/223101280)

First Peoples Worldwide, & Cultural Survival. (2019, October 16). *Indigenous groups raise concerns about Arctic Refuge drilling in submission to UN Human Rights Council*. Cultural Survival. [4](https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/indigenous-groups-raise-concerns-about-arctic-refuge-drilling-submission-un-human-rights)

Forest Tenure Funders Group. (n.d.). *Resources and annual reports*. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from https://www.foresttenurefundersgroup.org/resources

Frank, M. A. (2012, July 23). The future we don’t want: Indigenous peoples at Rio+20. *Cultural Survival Quarterly*. [5](https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/future-we-dont-want-indigenous-peoples-rio20)

Global Connections Television. (2018, July 13). *Brian Keane – Co-founder of Land is Life / UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2018 Session)* \[Video\]. Global Connections TV. [6](https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/videos/brian-keane-un-permanent-forum-indigenous-issues)

GTI-PIACI. (2025, July 31). *About us*. [7](https://en.pueblosaislados.org/)

Gwich’in Steering Committee; Land is Life; Cultural Survival; First Peoples Worldwide; & American Indian Law Clinic, University of Colorado. (2019, November 13). *Request for early warning measures and urgent action procedures to the UN CERD (United States of America)*. https://www.colorado.edu/program/tallgrass/sites/default/files/attached-files/gwichin\_steering\_committee\_request\_to\_cerd.pdf

Gwich’in Steering Committee; Land is Life; Cultural Survival; First Peoples Worldwide; & University of Colorado American Indian Law Clinic. (2019, October). *Observations on the state of Indigenous human rights in the United States of America: Submission to the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council*. [8](https://uprdoc.ohchr.org/uprweb/downloadfile.aspx?file=EnglishTranslation&filename=7859)

Indigenous Maasai Ask the United Nations to Intervene on Reported Human Rights Abuses.” *Mongabay*. April 21, 2023\. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/indigenous-maasai-ask-the-united-nations-to-intervene-on-reported-human-rights-abuses/

Indigenous Perspectives and a Fossil Fuel Phaseout Treaty Featured at Climate Week.” *Mongabay*. October 2, 2024\. https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/indigenous-perspectives-and-a-fossil-fuel-phaseout-treaty-featured-at-climate-week/

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. (2020, April 29). *Land Is Life launches Indigenous-Led Security Fund in Sub-Saharan Africa to address growing threats*. Knowledge Hub. [9](https://internationalfunders.org/knowledge-hub/land-is-life-launches-indigenous-led-security-fund-in-sub-saharan-africa-to-address-growing-threats/)

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. (2024, September 8). *Realizing the right to self-determination*. [10](https://internationalfunders.org/knowledge-hub/realizing-the-right-to-self-determination/)

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. (2014, April). *Side event: Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact*. https://www.iwgia.org/images/publications/0707\_IWGIA\_document\_2\_final.pdf

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. (2022, July). *Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation: Side event summary, UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples*. [11](https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4867-voluntary-isolation-side-event-un.html)

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. (2024, May). *Side event on Indigenous Peoples in isolation at the United Nations*. [12](https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4867-voluntary-isolation-side-event-un.html)

Johnson, L. (2012, June 18). South American Indigenous Nations in Rio to press their demands during UN summit. *Earth Island Journal*. [13](https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/south_american_indigenous_groups_in_rio_to_press_their_demands_during_un_su/)

Land is Life. (2019, September). *Informe PIACI: Situación actual y propuestas para la defensa de los derechos de los PIACI en Sudamérica*. [14](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Land-is-life-25-septiembre-2019.pdf)

Land is Life. (2023). *Annual report 2022*. Author.

Land is Life. (2024). *Annual report 2023*. Author.

Land is Life. (2024, September). *Amicus curiae to the Constitutional Court of Ecuador: Strengthening prior consultation guarantees for Indigenous Peoples in initial contact* \[Press release\]. [15](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ENGLISH_Press-release_Amicus.pdf)

Land is Life. (2024, September). *Libro Sarayaku: Indigenous autonomy and the rights of nature (Annex I)*. [16](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Annex-I-Libro-Sarayaku.pdf)

Land is Life. (2024). *Recommendations for Pledge 2.0 of the Forest Tenure Funders Group*. [17](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/PLEDGE-ENG.pdf)

Land is Life. (2025). *Annual report 2024*. [18](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2024-REPORT-LIL-V-final-1.pdf)

Land is Life. (n.d.). *About us*. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from [19](https://www.landislife.org/about-us/)

Land is Life. (n.d.). *An important announcement* \[News post\]. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from [20](https://www.landislife.org/an-important-announcement-9045/)

Land is Life. (n.d.). *History*. weADAPT. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from [21](https://www.weadapt.org/organisation/land-is-life)

Land is Life. (n.d.). *Indigenous Women’s Program*. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from [22](https://www.landislife.org/indigenous-womens-program/)

Land Is Life.” Matthew Good Foundation. Accessed August 14, 2025\. https://www.matthewgoodfoundation.org/project/land-is-life/

Land is Life. (n.d.). *Our team*. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from [23](https://www.landislife.org/our-team/)

Land is Life. (2024, September). *Serena folleto: Indigenous women’s leadership and environmental defense*. [24](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Folleto-Serena-1.pdf)

Land is Life. (2024, September). *Tacana protocol: Community guidelines for Free, Prior and Informed Consent*. [25](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tacana-Protocol-1.pdf)

Leahy, S. (2012, June 12). Indigenous message: Leave everything beneath Mother Earth. *Thomson Reuters Foundation News*. [26](https://news.trust.org/item/20120612101700-srgtw)

Land Is Life: Indigenous Women Confronting Land-Grabbing and Deforestation in Cambodia.” Just Associates (JASS). March 5, 2025\. [27](https://justassociates.org/land-is-life-indigenous-women-confronting-land-grabbing-and-deforestation-in-cambodia/)

New Course: Advocating for Indigenous Women’s Rights Through UN System to Run in Spring 2025.” University of Arizona – Human Rights Practice. November 13, 2024\. https://humanrightspractice.arizona.edu/news/new-course-advocating-indigenous-womens-rights-through-un-system-run-spring-2025

Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations. (2023, April 18). *From UNPFII to COP28: Indigenous youth dialogue*. [28](https://uaeun.org/event/unpfii-cop28-indigenous-youth/)

Rainforest Foundation Norway. (2024). *Realising the pledge – A tale of progress and setbacks*. https://www.regnskog.no/en/news/realising-the-pledge-a-tale-of-progress-and-setbacks

Sacred Land Film Project. (2025, June 25). *Land is Life*. [29](https://sacredland.org/land-is-life/)

Sawyer, S., & Gomez, E. T. (2008, September). *Transnational governmentality and resource extraction: Indigenous peoples, multinational corporations, multilateral institutions and the state* (Identities, Conflict and Cohesion Programme Paper No. 13). United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. [30](https://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/\(httpPublications\)/F770E0C29A25DB65C12574E6003611E7)

Tamalpais Trust. “Land Is Life.” Accessed August 14, 2025\. https://www.tamtrust.org/grant-partner/land-is-life/

United Nations. (2007, September 13). *Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)*. [31](https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf)

United Nations. (2018, April 27). *Closing 2018 session, Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues sends three draft reports to Economic and Social Council (HR/5392)*. [32](https://press.un.org/en/2018/hr5392.doc.htm)

United Nations. (2019, April 22). *Indigenous people’s traditional knowledge must be preserved … (Seventeenth Session) (HR/5431)*. https://press.un.org/en/2019/hr5431.doc.htm

United Nations. (2019, April 25). *Indigenous peoples’ priorities must be translated into action, speakers tell Permanent Forum … (Eighteenth Session) (HR/5434)*. https://press.un.org/en/2019/hr5434.doc.htm

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2024, August 8). *Protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact*. [33](https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/protecting-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-in-voluntary-isolation-and)

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). *Working with ECOSOC: Guide to consultative status for NGOs*. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from https://ecosoc.un.org/en/ngo/guide-to-consultative-status

United Nations ECOSOC NGO Branch. (2025, June 25). *Land is Life, Inc. – consultative status*. [34](https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/showProfileDetail.do?method=showProfileDetails&profileCode=620648)

World Bank. “Indigenous Peoples.” Accessed August 14, 2025\. [35](https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples)

[^1]: Stephen Leahy, “Indigenous Message: Leave Everything Beneath Mother Earth,” *Thomson Reuters Foundation News*, June 12, 2012, accessed June 24, 2025, [36](https://news.trust.org/item/20120612101700-srgtw).; Tamalpais Trust. “Land Is Life.” Accessed August 14, 2025\. https://www.tamtrust.org/grant-partner/land-is-life/ ; Land is Life, “About Us,” Land is Life (official website), accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.landislife.org/about-us/.

[^2]: Indigenous Perspectives and a Fossil Fuel Phaseout Treaty Featured at Climate Week,” *Mongabay*, October 2, 2024, https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/indigenous-perspectives-and-a-fossil-fuel-phaseout-treaty-featured-at-climate-week/

[^3]: World Bank. “Indigenous Peoples.” Accessed August 14, 2025\. [37](https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples)

[^4]: Land is Life, “About Us,” Land is Life (official website), accessed June 24, 2025; Charity Navigator. “Rating for Land is Life Inc.” Accessed 11 Aug 2025\. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/223101280.

[^5]: *Land is Life, Inc.”* profile, United Nations Civil Society Participation database, ECOSOC Consultative Status section, accessed June 25, 2025.;United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, NGO Branch. “Land is Life, Inc. — Consultative Status Summary.” *Civil Society Participation (iCSO)*. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [38](https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/consultativeStatusSummary.do?profileCode=44621);UN DESA. n.d. “Working with ECOSOC: Guide to Consultative Status for NGOs.” Accessed August 11, 2025\. [39](https://ecosoc.un.org/en/ngo/guide-to-consultative-status); UN DESA. 2016\. “Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2017–2019.” June 9, 2016\.

[^6]: Frank, Miriam Anne. 2012\. “The Future We Don’t Want: Indigenous Peoples at Rio+20.” *Cultural Survival Quarterly*, July 23, 2012\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [40](https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/future-we-dont-want-indigenous-peoples-rio20).

[^7]: Land is Life, “History,” *weADAPT*, accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.weadapt.org/organisation/land-is-life.

[^8]: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” adopted September 13, 2007, United Nations. [41](https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf); Land is Life, “About Us,”.

[^9]: Land is Life, “About Us,” *Land is Life*, accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.landislife.org/about-us/.;Suzana Sawyer and Edmund Terence Gomez, *Transnational Governmentality and Resource Extraction: Indigenous Peoples, Multinational Corporations, Multilateral Institutions and the State*, Identities, Conflict and Cohesion Programme Paper No. 13 (Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, 2008\)

[^10]: Land is Life, “Our Programs”, *Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC),* accessed June 26, 2025, https://www.landislife.org/free-prior-and-informed-consent-fpic-program/

[^11]: United Nations NGO Branch. n.d. “Land Is Life, Inc. — Consultative Status (ECOSOC Special since 2012).” Accessed August 11, 2025\. [42](https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/consultativeStatusSummary.do?profileCode=44621)

[^12]: Leahy, Stephen. 2012\. “Indigenous Message to Rio+20: Leave Everything Beneath Mother Earth.” *Inter Press Service* (via Global Issues), June 12, 2012\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [43](https://www.globalissues.org/news/2012/06/12/13990); Johnson, Lauren. 2012\. “South American Indigenous Nations in Rio to Press Their Demands during UN Summit.” *Earth Island Journal*, June 18, 2012\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [44](https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/south_american_indigenous_groups_in_rio_to_press_their_demands_during_un_su/);IWGIA. 2014\. “Side Event: Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.” April 2014\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. https://www.iwgia.org/images/publications/0707\_IWGIA\_document\_2\_final.pdf

[^13]: Leahy, “Indigenous Message.”;UN DESA. 2024\. “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.” August 8, 2024\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [45](https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/protecting-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-in-voluntary-isolation-and); UN DESA. 2024\. “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.” August 8, 2024\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/protecting-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-in-voluntary-isolation-and

[^14]: Global Connections Television, “Brian Keane – Co-founder of Land is Life / UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2018 Session),” interview by Bill Miller, *Global Connections TV*, July 13, 2018, [46](https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/videos/brian-keane-un-permanent-forum-indigenous-issues).; United Nations. 2019a. “Indigenous People’s Traditional Knowledge Must Be Preserved … (Seventeenth Session).” *Meetings Coverage* HR/5431, April 22, 2019\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [47](https://press.un.org/en/2019/hr5431.doc.htm); United Nations. 2018a. “Closing 2018 Session, Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Sends Three Draft Reports to Economic and Social Council.” *Meetings Coverage* HR/5392, April 27, 2018\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. https://press.un.org/en/2018/hr5392.doc.htm

[^15]: United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, “Regional Groupings,” *United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs*, accessed August 5, 2025, [48](https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/mandated-areas1/regional-groupings.html).; Permanent Mission of the UAE to the UN. 2023\. “From UNPFII to COP28: Indigenous Youth Dialogue.” April 18, 2023\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [49](https://uaeun.org/event/unpfii-cop28-indigenous-youth/)

[^16]: Land is Life, *Annual Report 2022*, Land is Life, *Annual Report* 2023; Land is Life, *Annual Report* 2024\.

[^17]: Land is Life, “Indigenous Women’s Program,” Land is Life, accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.landislife.org/indigenous-womens-program/.

[^18]: New Course: Advocating for Indigenous Women’s Rights Through UN System to Run in Spring 2025,” *University of Arizona – Human Rights Practice*, November 13, 2024, https://humanrightspractice.arizona.edu/news/new-course-advocating-indigenous-womens-rights-through-un-system-run-spring-2025https://www.landislife.org/supporting-indigenous-women-is-the-most-effective-way-to-support-indigenous-communities-1474/.

[^19]: Land is Life: Indigenous Women Confronting Land-Grabbing and Deforestation in Cambodia,” *Just Associates (JASS)*, March 5, 2025, [50](https://justassociates.org/land-is-life-indigenous-women-confronting-land-grabbing-and-deforestation-in-cambodia/); Land is Life, “Indigenous Women’s Program,” *Land is Life*, accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.landislife.org/indigenous-womens-program/.

[^20]: Land is Life, *Annual Report 2022*, 5–7; Land is Life.; Land is Life. *Libro Sarayaku: Indigenous Autonomy and the Rights of Nature.* Annex I, September 2024\. [51](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Annex-I-Libro-Sarayaku.pdf).;Land is Life. *Serena Folleto: Indigenous Women’s Leadership and Environmental Defense.* September 2024\. [52](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Folleto-Serena-1.pdf).;Land is Life. *Tacana Protocol: Community Guidelines for Free, Prior and Informed Consent.* September 2024\. [53](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tacana-Protocol-1.pdf).; IFIP (International Funders for Indigenous Peoples). 2024\. “Realizing the Right to Self-Determination.” September 8, 2024\. Accessed August 11, 2025\. [54](https://internationalfunders.org/knowledge-hub/realizing-the-right-to-self-determination/).

[^21]: [55](https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tacana-Protocol-1.pdf)

[^22]: Land is Life, *Annual Report 2023*, 9–11, https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Land-is-Life-2023-Annual-Report.pdf.

[^23]: Ajabu Advisors. 2020\. *Land is Life Indigenous-led Security Fund Evaluation*, November 4, 2020\. Accessed August 14, 2025\. https://landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Land-is-Life-Evaluation-Ajabu-Advisors.pdf

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[^38]: Sacred Land Film Project, “Land is Life,” https://sacredland.org/land-is-life/

[^39]: International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), “Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation: Side Event Summary, UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” July 2022, https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4867-voluntary-isolation-side-event-un.html.

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