08/08/2025
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2025
This August 9, we join the global community in celebrating the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, recognizing the resilience, knowledge, and rights of Indigenous communities worldwide. On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.
With this year’s theme—“Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures”—we reflect on how emerging technologies can both challenge and empower Indigenous communities in safeguarding their identities and advancing self-determined development.
In the Philippines, we pay tribute to our diverse Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), whose deep cultural wisdom, ancestral traditions, and sustainable practices continue to shape our national identity. While we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Month in October, we stand with all the global IP communities in asserting their rights, promoting cultural preservation, and ensuring ethical engagement with technology as we navigate the digital age.
Let us work together for an inclusive future where innovation respects and uplifts Indigenous voices.