A/80/181 71. In the Philippines, United Nations experts have warned about the massive impact of military operations on the territory of the Lumad peoples, including forced displacement and destruction of homes and livelihoods due to conflict. The military presence has been associated with suspicions that Lumads are involved with militant groups, which has resulted in rights violations and a threat to their cultural existence. 45 72. Indigenous Peoples can be labelled as accomplices. States’ approach to international security challenges in Indigenous Peoples’ territories is often shaped by mistrust rooted in discrimination. This situation leads to harmful stereotypes that portray Indigenous Peoples as collaborators with illegal armed groups, criminals, terrorists, extremists or enemies of the State. 46 It is also one of the major causes of the criminalization of Indigenous human rights defenders, particularly those advocating for land rights. 47 73. This situation results in a triple victimization of Indigenous Peoples. First, they suffer from the absence of an effective or protective State support and the lack of accessible public services. Second, they become vulnerable to occupation, harassment or influence by extremist groups, insurgents or criminal networks that exploit the State’s absence and seek to enslave or recruit vulnerable members of the community. Third, they are subjected to unjust accusations, persecution, stigmatization and criminalization by the State and society at large, often being falsely labelled as threats to national and international security or as enemies of progress and development. 3. Partnership between States and Indigenous Peoples for international security 74. Indigenous Peoples’ territories could become an asset for international security. Indigenous Peoples in remote and border areas could become the first line of protection for international security. Their detailed traditional knowledge of their territories, their cultural and spiritual assets, their unique insights into managing natural resources and their resilience offer untapped potential for improving international security and countering extremism, radicalism, criminal networks, climate change and the depletion of livelihoods. 75. States must realize that the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and lands are not a threat to territorial integrity, but potential key assets for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international security. Consequently, limitati ons to those two pillar rights of Indigenous Peoples weaken international and national security. 76. For that to happen, however, there must be a shift in the current paradigm. States should move away from considering Indigenous Peoples living in international security hotspots as threats and instead engage in new partnerships built on trust, rights and mutual respect, as provided for in the preamble to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, States should abide by the provisions of article 19 of the Declaration, which require consultation with Indigenous Peoples “before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them”. 77. There is a need for culturally sensitive and sustainable international security frameworks and policies. A notable example of Indigenous Peoples’ inclusion in a national security strategy is the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee of Canada, which was established in 2017. This mechanism enables Inuit leaders and federal Cabinet ministers to jointly identify and implement shared priorities, including those related __________________ 45 46 47 25-11701 See www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2017/12/philippines-warned-over-massive-impactmilitary-operations-mindanao. See communications BGD 12/2013 and BGD 8/2020. See A/HRC/39/17 and communication IDN 4/2024. 17/21