A/HRC/60/66
data and appropriate collection methodologies are required to address the challenges of –
among others – Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and Indigenous women and girls.
23.
In countries where data disaggregation by ethnicity is conducted, such as Bangladesh,
Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines, the data produced are often inaccurate and are not fully
disaggregated due to lack of capacity and understanding among those conducting the data
collection.16 Therefore, the right to data cannot be appropriately realized unless Indigenous
Peoples are able to interpret the collected data and put them into a cultural context.
24.
The most recent census in Cameroon, dating from 2005, did not provide any data
disaggregated by ethnic group. Many births among Indigenous Peoples take place in the
forest, which makes it difficult to declare births for the purposes of establishing birth
certificates, hence the lack of official data on Indigenous Peoples.17
25.
Norway does not currently disaggregate statistical data by ethnicity or Indigenous
status due to concerns over privacy and data protection and the potential for the misuse of
data.18 Information on ethnic background, language use or ethnic identity has been collected
for various studies, but it is outside Sami control and ownership.19 According to the State,
there is no general data foundation for creating individual-based statistics on people with
Sami ethnic affiliation and thematic statistics on Sami as a group or on groups of Sami
individuals.20
26.
In a 2024 report entitled No Data, No Story: Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines,
the World Bank emphasizes how the gaps, inconsistencies and lack of coordination in the
collection of data on Indigenous Peoples represent a major barrier to recognizing Indigenous
Peoples in the Philippines.21 The report recommends that agencies and organizations focused
on Indigenous Peoples in the country recognize the importance of strengthening efforts to
collect data on Indigenous Peoples.
27.
The overwhelming predominance of colonial indicators and quantitative analysis
results in a failure to incorporate Indigenous methodologies and data systems, leading to
data-collection frameworks that reflect structural discrimination and colonial perspectives
and methodologies that fail to capture Indigenous world views, knowledge systems and ways
of life.22 These systems frequently impose external categories and classifications that conflict
with Indigenous self-identification and cultural understanding.23
28.
In the Province of British Columbia in Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis
communities are highly diverse, but demographic studies do not account for differences
between, and within, these Indigenous Peoples, which can further perpetuate colonial norms
and undermine Indigenous self-determination.24
29.
In Chile, no specific legislation regulates the collection, use and protection of
Indigenous data under a collective rights approach. Uniform criteria and protocols for
including Indigenous variables are non-existent, and limited training in data management for
Indigenous Peoples and digital divides hinder the active participation of Indigenous Peoples
in data generation and management.25 In Honduras, the Office of the National Commissioner
for Human Rights has underscored the need to undertake a comprehensive process of
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
GE.25-12012
Presentation by Robie Halip, expert seminar, December 2024.
Submission from the Cameroon Human Rights Commission (in French).
Norwegian National Human Rights Institution, A Human Rights-Based Approach to Sámi Statistics.
Submission from GIDA-Sápmi.
Submission from Norway.
Presentation by Carlos Pérez-Brito, expert seminar, December 2024. See also World Bank, No Data,
No Story: Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines (2024).
Submission from the Independent First Nations Alliance. See also the submission from the Ontario
Native Women’s Association.
Presentation by Wilson Kipsang Kipkazi, expert seminar, December 2024.
Submission from the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, British Columbia, Canada.
Submission from Chile (in Spanish).
5