On August 27–28, 2026, Indigenous youth leaders from Myanmar, Cambodia, Central and Northeast India, Nepal, and Bangladesh came together at the Lomunu Training Center in Sabah, Malaysia, back-to-back with the 6th Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA) Conference of AIPP.
Day 1 opened a space for Indigenous youth to share the struggles they face across their communities—from defending their lands and cultures to asserting their rights and strengthening youth leadership.
Through country reports and workshops, participants identified shared experiences and priorities of Indigenous youth across South Asia and the Mekong region. Together with the outcomes of the Southeast Asia Gathering, these discussions will contribute to the development of a regional Indigenous youth situationer and help ground AYIPN’s Indigenous Lands in Indigenous Hands (ILIH) Campaign.
The gathering also strengthened collaboration between AIYP and AYIPN, through possible areas of cooperation and strengthening of the Joint Mechanism for Indigenous Youth Networks in Asia.
We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to PACOS Trust for welcoming us and opening the doors of the Lomunu Training Center, which became our home and learning space throughout the gathering. 
This event was made possible with the support of Pawanka Fund, Synchronicity Earth, and AIPP.
