Indigenous Women Have Always Led

From Ancestral Leadership to Global Commitment Part I

“When one of us speaks, she does not speak only for herself. She speaks with the voice of her ancestors and with the voice of the generations yet to come.”
— Teresa Zapeta, Executive Director, International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI)

Long before international declarations, global agendas or multilateral commitments, Indigenous Women were already leading.

They have protected forests before biodiversity became a global priority. They sustained food systems before food security entered international policy. They safeguarded languages, have defended territories and nurtured systems of knowledge that have sustained life for generations. Their leadership has never depended on recognition because it has always been rooted in responsibility—to their Peoples, to their lands and to those yet to come.

For too long, however, this leadership remained largely absent from the spaces where global decisions were made.

The proclamation of 5 September as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls by the United Nations General Assembly represents an important step toward transforming that historical omission. It does not create Indigenous Women’s leadership; it acknowledges a leadership that has always existed.

Recognition, however, is only the beginning.

Its true value will depend on whether it transforms the way governments, international institutions and societies engage with Indigenous Women—not as beneficiaries of development, but as leaders, not as victims but as rights holders and partners in shaping humanity’s future.

This responsibility is reinforced by international human rights standards, particularly the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and CEDAW General Recommendation No. 39, the first global instrument dedicated specifically to the rights of Indigenous Women and Girls.

Together, these frameworks affirm a principle that should guide international action: Indigenous Women are not asking to be included. They are rights holders—advancing individual and collective rights, exercising self-determination, and shaping a future where their peoples, identities, and leadership can thrive.

The question now is whether international institutions are prepared to govern differently because of it.

Indigenous Women Are Already Building the Future

Global debates often describe Indigenous Women through the language of exclusion and vulnerability. Those realities must never be ignored, but neither should they define Indigenous Women’s place in the world.

Across every region, Indigenous Women are already advancing solutions to challenges that affect all humanity—and building the future we all share.

They protect ecosystems that regulate the planet’s climate, defend biodiversity, safeguard water sources and sustain food systems rooted in centuries of ecological knowledge. At a time when climate change threatens communities worldwide, Indigenous territories continue to demonstrate that environmental stewardship and human well-being are inseparable.

Their leadership also strengthens democracy.

From community governance to international advocacy, Indigenous Women defend collective rights, promote peace, protect human rights and expand opportunities for future generations. Their participation reminds us that democracy is measured not only by institutions, but also by the capacity of communities to shape their own futures.

Equally important is their role as guardians of knowledge.

Languages, oral histories, healing practices and cultural traditions are not remnants of the past. They are living systems of knowledge that continue to offer solutions for education, health, environmental management and social cohesion.

Indigenous Women are also creating resilient local economies grounded in reciprocity, collective well-being and respect for nature. These models demonstrate that prosperity and sustainability are not opposing goals but mutually reinforcing ones.

These are not isolated contributions.

Together they offer an integrated vision of development where environmental protection, human rights, cultural continuity, democratic participation and economic justice strengthen one another.

The future the world seeks is already being built in Indigenous territories.