We recognize today as the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, and mark the theme for this year: “Together always: United in diversity”. This is a day to celebrate the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) across humanity. It is also a day for a reckoning with the related violence, discrimination and stigmatization that still cause profound, preventable suffering among these communities. Such violations harm us all as we seek to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and a world united under a common agenda of fully lived human rights.

The indigenous women of the Polochic Valley, the ancestral land of the Q'eqchi' people, are at the forefront of defending their lands and territories, safeguarding life and nature, and building and preserving peace. Sexual and other forms of violence against women have been used, both in conflict and post-conflict situations, to suppress their voices, punish them, subjugate them, and cause them and their people shame, breaking their ties with their families and communities.

Since mid-2015 there have been a series of events that shook Guatemalan society. From that scenario arose, genuinely and spontaneously, social movements of protest against corruption, and social demand has grown for structural reforms pending since the signing of the agreements to establish legal frameworks not only for the fight against corruption but for the rule of law respectful of democracy, peace and guarantor of human rights. Despite the progress in generating reforms, many challenges remain in strengthening access to justice for women, adolescents, youth, children, and indigenous peoples.

Violence against women persists in Guatemala. Moreover, different forms of violence against women, particularly against indigenous women, emerge and intensify, as evidenced by high levels of femicide, disappearances, forced child motherhood, and cyber attacks.

Indigenous women's organizations recognize the progress made regarding respect and guarantees for the fulfillment of the human rights of indigenous women. However, they also call for greater protection, which is still insufficient today. General Recommendation No. 39 will guide the States Parties to CEDAW in implementing concrete measures to eliminate historical discrimination and the violation of the rights of indigenous women, considering their individual and collective rights.

On the commemoration of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, UN Women calls for the need to recover, preserve and maintain their languages and highlight the fundamental role that indigenous women play in this vital task, reaffirming their right to have their voices, diverse and a sample of the cultural richness they represent, heard loud and clear in all the spaces they inhabit, not only in the home and family but also in the political, social, economic and cultural space.

Every year in Chile, the Pulsar Awards are held as a platform to recognize the best musical creations of the country. This year, singer Rosa Quispe Huanca was the only woman nominated in the category "Dissemination of the music of native peoples". Thanks to her song "Mi palomita" (My little dove), from the album Urphilitay, Quispe Huanca fulfilled a dream she had worked for over twenty years and won the award.

UN Women's Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean praises the work of a platform to bring more female leaders into the public sphere.

Statement: Indigenous women play a vital role in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge

Fifty-eight indigenous women from 21 countries (Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, English Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela) from 33 different indigenous peoples participated in the Regional Consultation on the upcoming General Recommendation No. 39 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls.

ONU Mujeres se solidariza con todas las personas de diversas orientaciones sexuales, identidades de género, expresiones de género y características sexuales (SOGIESC por sus siglas en inglés). Reconocemos que los derechos de las personas LGBTIQ+ dependen de la toma de decisiones autónomas sobre asuntos relacionados con el propio cuerpo y la salud. En muchos contextos, estos derechos siguen siendo inaccesibles.

Mariela Casanova has lived for over 30 years in the Awá community of Santa Marianita. As an indigenous leader, she is committed to rescuing the Awá culture through ancestral knowledge related to food security and climate change adaptation. Casanova, 51, is vice president of the Federation of Awá Centers of Ecuador, which groups 26 communities. She focuses on strengthening the capacities of indigenous women to maximize their potential and become agents of change.

Otilia Lux de Coti's strength and determination has allowed her to be persistent in her beliefs. From 2001 to 2007, she was Vice-President of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and, from 2004 to 2007, she served as Guatemala's Representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO. She currently works closely with UN Women Guatemala through the Indigenous Women's Platform, is a member of the UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group in Guatemala

In Mexico, 21.5% of the population describes themselves as indigenous, and in the State of Oaxaca alone, there is an indigenous population of more than 2 million 600 thousand people. Of these, more than 1 million 300 thousand are women. The Organization of Women Entrepreneurs of the Isthmus (OMEI) is a cooperative of women artisans from the community of Juchitán in Oaxaca. It was created in 2019 by women who graduated from the first generation...

In Argentina, indigenous women face multiple barriers in access to education, health, employment, technology and financing. Many find in the production of handicrafts a job opportunity to ensure their economic autonomy and that of their families. However, this process of empowerment would not be possible without the training and collective struggle of community leaders who support other women...

Indigenous women face even more significant challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has also impacted their economic autonomy. The restrictions on traditional marketing spaces and channels have significantly reduced their income. Through its Originarias programme, UN Women created Mercado Digital, a space where indigenous women entrepreneurs promote their businesses, products, and services online.

Indigenous peoples, especially women, come not only from a process of physical extermination but also a spiritual one. When women begin to empower themselves in organizational processes, spaces open up for political exercises that make it possible for communities to continue to exist and resist. UN Women's work with CRIC in the Women's Programme...

Dalia Bolaños Pascal is part of the Indigenous Unity of the Awá People. At 21 years of age, she is the alternate Governor of the El Verde estate of the Gran Sábalo reservation in Nariño. A position that has historically been occupied by men.

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