A/HRC/48/54 from COVID-19 that will resonate for years to come, such as long-term impacts on health, economic and social development and nation-building, especially for communities with limited capacity for recovery. 55. Despite these challenges, there are still many examples of indigenous-led initiatives achieving positive outcomes. Rather than relying on government aid, indigenous nations are exercising their sovereignty, laws and jurisdictions to implement and enforce measures against COVID-19, in some cases across jurisdictional patchworks. States should provide support for such community protection plans devised autonomously by indigenous peoples. Indigenous nations and organizations have led coordinated, community-level responses that include reconnecting with traditional territories and knowledge, increasing food sovereignty, managing humanitarian and mutual aid networks, implementing culturally appropriate information campaigns in indigenous languages, broadcasting education campaigns on indigenous community radio, and assisting with the roll-out of vaccine programmes.64 A. Application of indigenous medicine and knowledge 56. Indigenous peoples are contributing to fighting the pandemic through traditional medicine and intercultural medical approaches to strengthen their immune systems and resistance to the virus. 57. In Bangladesh, the Santa community are taking traditional germ-killing herbs and have resumed to practising dobok johar, a traditional greeting system that maintains physical distance.65 In the Mato Grosso region in Brazil, the Kuikuro people formed partnerships with hospitals, set up their own health centre and hired doctors and nurses to stay with them and help with prevention. Combining traditional treatment, indigenous food and a safe environment, they were able to keep the community safe. 58. Indigenous midwives have redoubled their efforts to meet the growing demand for care, as indigenous women have preferred not to go to official health centres for fear of contagion. 59. In Nicaragua, the disease was attended and treated with ancestral knowledge through the use of plants, roots and medicinal practices historically used to treat respiratory diseases and strengthening of the immune system, reportedly leading some communities to being less seriously affected by the pandemic.66 60. In Canada, the Tŝilhqot’in Nation reported that new positive relationships have emerged from the pandemic, including food delivery and virtual access to health-care specialists.67 61. In Thailand, Karen people have performed rituals by shutting down their villages and not allowing anyone to enter and in Bangladesh the Mro indigenous communities put up a bamboo fencing (khasur) at the entrance of their territory to isolate their villages.68 62. States should implement culturally appropriate health care, respecting the diverse forms of social organization, knowledge and practices of indigenous communities.69 In this regard, article 24 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides that: “Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, 64 65 66 67 68 69 See submissions by Colectivo de Geografía Crítica del Ecuador and Land is Life; Cxhab Wala KiweAsociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca; Federación por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos Indígenas; Organización Indígena de Antioquia; Almáciga; and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Kapaeeng Foundation, “A rapid assessment report. The impact of COVID-19 on indigenous and tribal peoples in Bangladesh” (June 2020) p. 9. See submission by Centro por la Justicia y Derechos Humanos de la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua. See submission by Tŝilhqot’in Nation, p. 79. See submission by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, resolution 4/2020, para. 17. 13