In Highlight: The Indigenous Navigator

The Indigenous Navigator is a framework and set of tools designed by and for Indigenous Peoples to monitor the recognition and implementation of their rights systematically. It has a critical focus on community-generated data. It empowers Indigenous communities to assess the realization of their rights on the ground through a structured framework aligned with the international human rights instruments.

The Indigenous Navigator emphasizes self-determination, community engagement, and grassroots data collection. It doesn’t rely only on external assessments. It fosters Indigenous Peoples’ active engagement to create the data and participate in monitoring their rights.

The Indigenous Navigator also bridges the gap between Indigenous knowledge and human rights frameworks and thus functions as an advocacy tool. Communities from the 30 countries where the Indigenous Navigator is being used note that they have been informed and sensitized to their rights for the first time, both those stemming from national legislation and international human rights instruments.

While the Indigenous Navigator stands out for its community-driven approach, it collaborates with various stakeholders, including Indigenous organizations, duty bearers, NGOs, and journalists.

It complements existing databases and monitoring mechanisms by providing context-specific data directly from Indigenous communities. That noted, other tools use elements of the framework and tool, including the Indigenous Navigator’s indicators in their monitoring framework (for example LANDEX). Its comparative matrix is of particular interest to academics and researchers around the world - Home | The Indigenous Navigator Tools Database.

Using the Indigenous Navigator, Indigenous Peoples and communities collect data on land tenure, access to resources, and legal protections. They document any violations or gaps. With this community-generated evidence, they engage with local authorities, present their findings, and advocate for stronger legal safeguards. By doing so, they hold duty bearers accountable and contribute to national efforts to fulfill international human rights obligations related to land rights.

In projects implemented in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the monitoring of Indigenous Peoples' rights, and the analyses of that data, has led to the development of community-led interventions that directly impact and promote the full realization of those rights, as well as contribute to addressing climate change, effective community-led conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity .

Through surveys with Indigenous communities in Bolivia, the Indigenous Navigator collected data highlighting challenges regarding health, water quality and quantity, and environmental degradation of lands, territories, and resources. In Colombia, Indigenous communities used the outcome indicators in the Navigator framework to measure the impact of their traditional occupations and practices on the sustainable conservation, restoration, and protection of their lands, territories, and resources.

In Asia, particularly in Nepal, the Indigenous Navigator prompted the communities to analyze their right to participation in local decision-making, which brought broader consultation with Indigenous peoples on the local development planning process. In Cambodia, communities identified the need to strengthen the transmission of their traditional knowledge and facilitated exchanges among youth and elders.

Data gathered by the Indigenous Navigator also contributes to informing and supporting the further development of official statistics. Through participation in the Expert Group Meeting of the UN Statistical Division on Collaborative Citizen Data , which developed the Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data , Indigenous Navigator contributed its experiences and best practices. Further, in the 2023 publication 'Traditional Occupations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Labour Statistics' , published by the ILO, the data of the Indigenous Navigator is utilized to emphasize the critical role of community-based monitoring and information systems (CBMIS).

Indigenous organizations and communities themselves are the primary users. They actively participate in data collection, analysis, and advocacy. Other users include supporting organisations, duty bearers, international civil society organisations and networks, UN mechanisms, academia and journalists.

The Indigenous Navigator is currently expanding both its geographic and thematic coverage. Over the next years, it aims to:

• Expand its network of Indigenous organizations, human rights institutions, and strategic partners to further support the realization of Indigenous Peoples rights
• Encourage broader adoption of its tools and framework including its methodology around indicators
• Enhance the visualization and sharing of collected data for advocacy
• Further support local implementers in securing external funding for activities.