As part of our ongoing advocacy work in the digital rights space, IT for Change recently responded to a call for inputs titled 'Indigenous Peoples right to data, including data collection and disaggregation', issued by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The inputs will be used in a draft study which will be introduced by the Expert Mechanism at its 18th annual session, due to take place in July 2025. The finalized version will be presented to the Human Rights Council at its 60th session in September 2025.
In our input, IT for Change outlined the unique problems that Indigenous Peoples encounter while navigating the digital landscape, and how Indigenous perspectives can be centered in technological transformations to secure sovereignty over their digital futures. The submission focuses on 4 key areas:
i) Indigenous Futures in an Intelligence Economy
ii) Indigenous Resource Sovereignty in International Law
iii) Ethics of Indigenous Data Collection and Access
iv) Deficits in Global Governance & Decentralised Data Imaginaries
In light of this, IT for Change put forward some important suggestions to go beyond the centrality of consent and consultation to secure meaningful Indigenous data sovereignty. The recommendations call upon states and multilateral organizations to consider a commons-based approach and develop and invest in Indigenous-origin datasets.
Read the full submission here.