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When COVID-19 infected the lungs of the world, the Guajajara people in the Amazon rainforest responded to the disease as indigenous peoples have done for centuries: sealing off their territories and protecting their elders.

The Guajajara people are among the 476 million indigenous peoples spread across the globe whose culture of cooperation and trust has prepared them to resiliently counter this pandemic. In a virtual event to commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, representatives of indigenous peoples, governments and the UN system discussed the challenges they are facing, whilst paying tribute to the resilience of indigenous peoples.

“Indigenous peoples are crucial partners in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” stressed Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of UN DESA, as he addressed the event on 10 August. “Their traditional governance institutions and knowledge for protecting biodiversity, including health and food systems, contribute to building a successful COVID-19 emergency response and recovery.”

Throughout the event, speakers agreed that the inequalities indigenous peoples experience have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Ms. Danielle Bourque-Bearskin, a public health nurse from Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Canada, explained that without access to clean drinking water and adequate housing, people cannot wash their hands or practice social distancing. Mr. Basiru Issa, representing the Network of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for the Sustainable Management of the Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa, highlighted the lack of modern technology limiting indigenous peoples’ access to verified information and education.

The issue of food security has also worsened. While customers have seen empty grocery shelves in different places around the world, many indigenous peoples have suffered extreme food shortages caused by national lockdowns.

Despite hardships, speakers also shared some inspiring mitigation practices. Mr. Gam Shimray, Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, described the food exchange system between northern rural and southern urban Thailand, and how students have returned to their villages in Bangladesh to teach indigenous children where remote learning is not available.

Elsewhere, technology has been deployed to provide health information in indigenous languages, including videos targeting indigenous elders. The Sami people in Finland, for example, have mobilized social media to spread accurate information regarding preventative measures.

The inspiring practices shared during this event demonstrate how indigenous peoples continue to counter hazards with resilience and resolve, making use of wisdom and knowledge acquired and secured across centuries and generations.

Learn more about the event here and watch the online recording .

Photo: PAHO/Karen Gonzalez Abril