Tebtebba

14/08/2026

We’re proud to share Chamchamag Issue 2026 and our inaugural Biannual Newsletter!

📖 To read Chamchamag Issue 2026, click here: https://www.tebtebba.org/index.php/resources/policy-briefs-and-information-services/chamchamag

📖 To read our Newsletter, click here: https://www.tebtebba.org/index.php?option=com_sppagebuilder&view=page&id=56

These publications celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ lived experiences, collective efforts, and advocacy journeys — affirming our shared commitment to justice, dignity, and self‑determination.

Happy reading, and please share with your friends, partners, and networks!

14/08/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 | 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗖𝗛𝗧𝗖 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗪𝗚𝗜𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗵

13 August 2026 | The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) express grave concern over remarks made by Salahuddin Ahmed, Minister of Home Affairs, and Zahir Uddin Swapan, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, during a roundtable discussion in Dhaka on 11 August 2026 titled “Indigenous Identity Is Irrelevant for Bangladesh”.

Read more: https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/joint-statement-chtc-and-iwgia-reject-ministers-denial-of-indigenous-identity-in-bangladesh

12/08/2026

GCF and Indigenous Peoples work together to define how climate ambition translates into implementation, helping ensure climate finance serves the communities who need it most.

As GCF develops its updated strategic plan, we are drawing on a decade of lessons, with Indigenous Peoples' voices central to that process.

Hear from Helenpogs Biangalen Magata, Executive Director of Tebtebba and member of GCF's Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group, on why this matters.

Original Post: Green Climate Fund
https://gcf.co/indigenous-peoples

09/08/2026

READ | 9 August 2026 | International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Honouring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being

For generations, Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems have been the cornerstones of community health and resilience connecting territory, spirituality, and ways of life. Indigenous midwives, along with other healers, embody this wisdom, carrying forward traditions that safeguard life, strengthen cultural identity, and ensure continuity for future generations.

As affirmed in the Article 24 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), “Indigenous [P]eoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.”

Yet, discrimination — reinforced through structural barriers and health governance frameworks — continues to invalidate Indigenous midwives (undermine their recognition within formal health frameworks) denying Indigenous Peoples communities (limiting) access to culturally appropriate maternal and child care. And, in some cases, even criminalizing their practice. The Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), in its General Recommendation (GR) No. 39 on the rights of Indigenous women and girls, noted that Indigenous midwives and birth attendants are often criminalized.

In the Philippines, the Joint Memorandum Circular 2013-01 (DOH–NCIP–DILG) — Guidelines on the Delivery of Basic Health Services for Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) — promotes culturally sensitive health services for Indigenous Peoples. Yet, it stops short of explicitly recognizing the roles of Indigenous midwives in community health and wellbeing. This operational gap leaves Indigenous midwives vulnerable to exclusion and, in some cases, even criminalization when they operate outside accredited facilities.

The erosion of a specific part of the knowledge systems essential to the preservation not only of life through generations but also the protection of the dignity of Indigenous women, its domino effect, is an affront to Indigenous Peoples’ right to strengthen their collective identities and to sustain their cultural continuity, self‑determination, and resilience in the face of systemic marginalization.

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples ( ), we spotlight the contributions of Indigenous midwives and reaffirm the value of Indigenous knowledge in advancing culturally appropriate care. Let us not only celebrate Indigenous midwives but also demand recognition of their practices and knowledge systems. Their wisdom must be valued, protected, and integrated into health policies to ensure that no one is left behind.

As we call for the full, meaningful, and effective implementation of CEDAW GR No. 39, we particularly highlight the recommendation to State Parties: “Ensure the recognition of Indigenous health systems, ancestral knowledge, practices, sciences and technologies, and prevent and sanction the criminalization thereof.”

Stand with Indigenous midwives. Advocate and demand for their recognition. Let’s honour Indigenous midwives as knowledge holders, caregivers, and protectors of life.

05/08/2026

During at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development (IPMG) pushed for real action on the 2030 Agenda. From customary water governance to community-led energy initiatives, Indigenous Peoples-led solutions are essential to achieving SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, and 17.

To build a truly equitable future, world leaders must move beyond exclusion and commit to:

• Enforce FPIC: Guarantee Free, Prior, and Informed Consent before approving any energy, infrastructure, or water projects on Indigenous Peoples' lands.
• Direct Financing: Channel climate and development funds directly to Indigenous Peoples-led funds and communities.
• Protect Rights & Governance: Recognize customary water systems, land rights, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP) at all levels of planning.
• Support Community Solutions: Invest in Indigenous Peoples' clean energy initiatives, sustainable community-led enterprises, and traditional governance.

The 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without centering Indigenous Peoples' rights, self-determination, and meaningful engagement.

To read IPMG's position papers and publications, please visit: https://indigenouspeoples-sdg.org/index.php/english/all-resources/ipmg-position-papers-and-publications

05/08/2026

Tebtebba Foundation joined leaders and advocates from 19 Indigenous communities across the Philippines in Quezon City today for a day of rituals and other culture-based actions to express their opposition to the new Free, Prior, and Informed Consent ( ) Guidelines issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

04/08/2026

LOOK | A group of Kadaclan and Licoy women and young farmers in Poblacion, Paracelis, Mountain Province, Philippines, labored in their communal learning farms from July 23 to August 01 with Likoy elders/men helping to build the needed farm structures.

These communal learning farms, located in sitios Licoy, Babba, and Amolong, were established by Upong da iLikoy to revitalize the traditional 𝑢𝑚𝑎 , a farming system of the Kadaclan and Licoy peoples of Paracelis. These learning farms are vital for conserving traditional crops and heirloom seeds, serving as both a living seedbank and a school for intergenerational knowledge transfer.

03/08/2026

Tebtebba joined , , , and fellow at University of the Philippines-Diliman for the workshop on the Philippine National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

Organized by residential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Land Justice Initiative, and University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights (UP-IHR), this workshop is a crucial step in shaping a national policy that holds businesses accountable to respect human rights and states to protect Indigenous Peoples as enshrined in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Key priorities for the NAP-BHR include:
- Protecting Ancestral Domains: Ensuring land rights, cultural identity, and self-determination are safeguarded against adverse business impacts.
- Strengthening FPIC: Reinforcing the integrity of the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent and its genuine implementation.
- Corporate Accountability: Making sure businesses respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- State Accountability: Enforce the state's duty to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

29/07/2026

At the June Climate Meetings of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn, Mrinal Kanti Tripura, Director of the Maleya Foundation in Bangladesh, shared his perspective on how climate change is affecting Indigenous Peoples in the Eastern Himalayan region. In this interview, he explains why climate impacts threaten not only livelihoods but also culture and traditional knowledge, and why Indigenous voices must be heard in climate negotiations.

Read more: https://frient.de/en/artikel/building-peace-in-a-changing-climate-an-indigenous-perspective-from-bangladesh/

FriEnt: You are a member of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet) and the steering committee of the Eastern

28/07/2026

| Transformation from the ground up: Acting at the local level

"Water is life, and it is a right."

During his intervention on July 16, 2026, at the UN Headquarters in New York, Cyro Rodriguez from Uruguay highlighted that Indigenous communities stand on the frontlines of the climate and water crises, facing the devastating impacts of water privatization, polluting industries, and systemic marginalization. Protecting the environment demands Indigenous Peoples' real and meaningful engagement in decision-making spaces and respect for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs).

He also added that their communities still have much knowledge and hope to offer the world for a sustainable future—not just their sacrifice.