The Asia Young Indigenous Peoples Network (AYIPN) joins the global commemoration of the 77th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this December 10.
Indigenous youth across Asia continue to face severe, systemic human rights violations as our communities come under attack from extractive industries backed by foreign corporations. These destructive projects displace our peoples, escalate abuses, and worsen long-standing injustices.
Raising militarization is deployed to silence our resistance and undermine our right to self-determination, driven by the alliance of ruling states and imperialist forces. Because of the ongoing land-grabbing and the militarization of Indigenous communities, basic social services—such as education—are being taken away from us. These attacks violate the right of Indigenous youth to an education that is culturally appropriate and respectful of national minorities.
The loss of land also means the gradual erasure of Indigenous cultures and ways of life. It is essential to recognize the right of Indigenous Peoples to their lands including their right to sustain and pass on their culture, their languages, and arts. Our traditional knowledge and practices, passed down through generations, are built around caring for and sustaining the land. Revitalizing our culture is an act of resistance.
Despite these challenges, many Indigenous youth continue to strive, immerse themselves in their communities, and embrace their cultural identity to ensure its survival for the next generations. Across Asia, Indigenous youth remain at the forefront of defending our communities and our ancestral domains. In Bangladesh, escalating militarization in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has resulted in grave violations against Indigenous women and youth, including the killing of three Indigenous persons in September 2025 during a protest against militarization.
In Indonesia, the Indigenous Sihaporas community faced violent attacks that injured youth, students, and women—14 of whom were hospitalized—while community homes and properties were burned and destroyed. Among the victims were eight Indigenous youth members of BPAN. In West Papua, Indigenous leaders advancing their national liberation struggle continue to face unjust arrests and imprisonment.
Indigenous youth are also joining broader movements against government corruption, as seen in Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines. This strengthens the powerful force of the youth for systemic change and for breaking the chains of oppression and exploitation.
On this International Human Rights Day, we strengthen our collective demand to respect Indigenous rights and culture, protect our ancestral lands, and end the domination of foreign corporations over our territories. AYIPN stands firmly for the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and calls for the immediate pull-out of the military in our communities.
We stand united in asserting: Indigenous Lands in Indigenous Hands.
#IndigenousYouth #DefendAncestralLands #DefendIPRights #ILIH #StopTheAttacks
