Ancestral territory of the Kogui People from the Sierra Nevada of Gonawindúa in Colombia. Stock image via Pond5.
September 15, 2026
Colombian Indigenous Peoples Present Report on Human Rights Violations at U.N. Forum
By Nancy Kelsey (Anishinaabe)
In July, Dunen Muelas Izquierdo (Arhuaco, Colombia) traveled to Geneva to present a report at a gathering of the U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). It was an important step toward spotlighting in a global forum the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia – especially women and children – who continuously face threats to their rights and territories. This is part of a strategy by a coalition of Indigenous organizations, supported by Nia Tero and others, to end the ongoing assault on their human rights.
Muelas Izquierdo was part of a collaboration representing the voices and expertise of Colombian Indigenous organizations, supported by Nia Tero and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), which include: the Commission on Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples (CDDHHPI), the National Commission on Indigenous Territories (CNTI), the National Commission of Indigenous Women (CNMI) and the Indigenous Kankuamo Organization (OIK). As CNMI’s Technical Secretary, Muelas Izquierdo helped shine a light on violations of Indigenous women’s rights in Colombia.
Photo: Courtesy of Carmen Guerra (Kankuama, Colombia)/Nia Tero.
Together, the organizations’ report documented the realities facing Indigenous communities still living through conflict and its aftermath. From violence to dispossession of lands and waters, they highlight impacts on Indigenous Peoples with a special focus on women and children.
"This was undoubtedly a valuable experience," Muelas Izquierdo said, describing how the process opened doors to understanding the channels available to Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations, while also presenting for an international audience the unique challenges in Colombia’s Indigenous territories.
“For me it was a very new space. I believe it requires understanding what happens at the United Nations regarding its processes,” she said, adding that she had previously participated in the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and trainings about EMRIP held by Nia Tero, IWGIA, Docip and the U.N. Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples.
“The support from Nia Tero has been fundamental. There is a wealth of knowledge regarding the various actors involved, which helps one navigate these spaces more effectively.”
- Dunen Muelas Izquierdo
Arhuaco, Colombia
National Commission of Indigenous Women
Beyond Geneva, the presenting organizations are advocating for the inclusion of their findings and recommendations in official thematic studies and findings presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council in September. This is part of their strategy to leverage the report to improve the situation of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia and, more broadly, across the globe.
“Supporting the advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ rights in global spaces like the EMRIP, and ultimately the U.N. Human Rights Council, is key to Nia Tero’s Policy work,” said Nia Tero Policy Manager Carmen Guerra (Kankuama, Colombia). “The situation in Colombia, while unique in many ways, is also emblematic of the challenges Indigenous Peoples face around the world. The perspectives highlighted in this paper give voice to widespread Indigenous rights violations.”
The organizations are also able to bring the report to the Inter-American human rights system, among others, and share it domestically among Indigenous communities – particularly amid Colombia's recent political changes.
The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is one of four mechanisms established specifically regarding Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations. Established in 2007 by the U.N.’s human rights body, EMRIP is tasked with:
- Offering expertise and advice to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples within the U.N. Human Rights Council
- Assisting Member States in implementing policies that align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
It is comprised of seven experts on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as appointed by the Human Rights Council. They represent the diversity of the world’s seven sociocultural regions. Each year, the EMRIP convenes over a five-day in-person session which also includes various side events.
The other three U.N. mechanisms include the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the U.N. Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples.
The report centers on Colombia — which is home to 115 distinct Indigenous Peoples — as a microcosm of what happens when "post-conflict" aspirations don't reflect Indigenous Peoples’ realities. A decade after the 2016 Peace Agreement, internal armed conflict has not ended and is driven by persistent violence, expanding illicit economies, militarization and extractive projects imposed without Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior, and informed consent.
Between 2016 and 2025, CNTI documented 812 sociopolitical murders of Indigenous People, with cases jumping from 75 in 2024 to 102 in 2025. Drawing on national victims' registry data, CNMI's own analysis found 529,959 Indigenous victims of the armed conflict since 1985, including 266,391 Indigenous women, nearly a third of whom experienced more than one victimizing event. Forced displacement accounts for most cases.
Muelas Izquierdo described distilling Colombia’s history into a report as one of the hardest parts of the process — condensing over 60 years of conflict and the effects of a decade-old peace agreement that has yet to fully materialize, into a document built for an international audience at the U.N. level.
The report pays particular attention to how conflict has affected Indigenous women who experience higher rates of human rights violations. Yet only 1.3% of the women registered as victims of these violations have received any administrative compensation.
Another recurring thread in the report is the forced recruitment of Indigenous children to join criminal enterprises. Between 2020 and 2024, 2,340 cases of illegal recruitment of minors were recorded nationwide; in 2024 more than half involved Indigenous populations. The report frames this not as isolated violence but as a systemic disruption to passing down Indigenous knowledge and culture for future generations.
Case studies anchor the report's broader argument that legal insecurity of Indigenous territories is a structural driver of conflict. Notably, Indigenous territories hold more than half of Colombia's forests and glaciers – even as roughly 22.5% overlap with hydrocarbon blocks, or areas delineated by government for potential extractive industry such as oil or gas exploration.
- Stronger protections for Indigenous lands, recognizing that territory is essential to the survival, culture, and well-being of Indigenous communities – as well as their right to self-determination. They urge governments to uphold Indigenous rights, secure Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent, ensure peace and address the lasting impacts of conflict on communities and the environment.
- Greater protection and participation of Indigenous women, including support for women leaders and recognition of the unique challenges they face.
- Meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding, environmental governance and decision-making processes.
- Reparation models that are more community-centered in recognition of the more collective effects of human rights violations.
- Address the forced recruitment of Indigenous children by armed groups, calling for prevention efforts rooted in community protection, education, and Indigenous leadership.
- Protect ancestral lands in the Sierra Nevada de Gonawindúa and supporting the Zio Bain People through land restoration, demining, and community healing.
Finally, Muelas Izquierdo and the other presenters urged the U.N. to elevate this issue globally by convening a dedicated discussion on the forced recruitment of Indigenous children in conflict and post-conflict settings.