GENEVA - The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) will visit Brazil from 1 to 10 June 2026 to provide guidance on the protection and promotion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and those who have made initial contact.
The visit takes place in response to a request from the International Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (Grupo de Trabalho Internacional de Proteção de Povos Indígenas em Situação de Isolamento e Contato Inicial / GTI-PIACI), an alliance of 21 Indigenous and indigenist organizations from South America dedicated to protecting, defending and promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in isolation and initial contact.
Members of the Expert Mechanism plan to visit the state of Rondônia in Brazil's North Region, where they will visit the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory, and Brasília, the federal capital.
During the mission, the experts plan to hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with rights holders, while respecting the principle of non-contact, as well as with state and federal authorities, the national human rights institution, civil society organizations and representatives of Indigenous communities.
After the mission, the Expert Mechanism will issue a technical note with advice on strengthening the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact, in line with international standards. This includes supporting special protection measures, advancing formal recognition and territorial demarcation, and assisting in the development and coordination of national and cross-border legal and policy frameworks, particularly in transboundary regions, in recognition of their existence and their right to self-determination.
The rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact are contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular Article 3 (right to self-determination); Article 7 (right to life, physical integrity, and security); Article 8 (forced assimilation), Article 24 (right to health), Article 26 (right to land, territories and resources); and Article 29 (environmental protection).
The Expert Mechanism will issue a statement at the end of the mission.
This will be the sixth country engagement mission undertaken by the Expert Mechanism. Previous country engagement missions included those to Finland (February 2018), Mexico (February 2019), New Zealand (April 2019), Australia (October 2023) and Norway (March 2024).
