A/75/185 contact and mental health support for many indigenous peoples amplifies the harms of the pandemic. 21. While community-living practices such as extended family co-residence, communal labour, food sharing and spiritual ceremonial practices are a fundamental aspect of many indigenous cultures, measures adopted by States to control the virus do not always acknowledge or respect their deep and particular importance for indigenous peoples. Poverty, marginalization and racism 22. Across the world, neo-colonialism and globalization contribute to dispossession of indigenous peoples’ lands and keep their societies in a state of marginalization and extreme poverty. Indigenous communities are at increased risk because of the systemic inequities and discrimination they face, 25 and COVID-19 has further exacerbated racism against indigenous men and women across all continents, 26 including stigmatization when indigenous communities are accused of not respecting preventive measures or of having high infection rates. 27 Indigenous peoples also suffer the consequences of food insecurity and lack access to clean water, soap and sanitation. 28 23. Indigenous peoples often face obstacles in accessing public health services and medication: many indigenous peoples live long distances from health structures, cannot afford the cost of consultations and treatment, face discriminatory attitudes and are denied the right to speak in their own language or to receive care that takes into account their cultural specificities. Public health care structures servicing indigenous territories may be insufficiently equipped. 29 Many indigenous communities do not have their own health-care system and are not sufficiently represented among the medical and paramedical staff of the public he alth system. Stateless indigenous peoples may be denied care if they cannot show identification papers. 30 Indigenous women face additional risks related to their sexual and reproductive health and are stigmatized and discriminated against when they seek health care. Indigenous peoples, and particularly indigenous women, are also less likely to be medically insured. 24. Reports from Africa, Latin America and Asia indicate that indigenous peoples outside urban areas may not have access to testing. 31 Many cannot afford personal protective equipment, and distribution by public authorities may reach remote communities too late or not at all. 32 In certain communities, indigenous peoples are reluctant to access public health care because of more general practices of avoiding outside contact and distrust that they will be treated with dignity. 33 __________________ 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 20-09737 See Amanda Carling and Insiya Mankani, “Systemic inequities increase COVID -19 risk for indigenous people in Canada”, Human Rights Watch, 9 June 2020. Available at https://www.hrw.org/ news/2020/06/09/systemic-inequities-increase-covid-19-risk-indigenous-people-canada. Submissions by the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network; the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and partners; and Red de investigaciones sobre indígenas urbanos. Submission by Comité de Derechos Humanos de Base de Chiapas Digna Ochoa. Submissions by Equipo nacional de pastoral aborigen (Pastoral Team for Ministry to Indigenous Peoples) (ENDEPA) and many others. See communication addressed to Mexico, available at https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/ TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=25283. Submissions by Protection International and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Submissions by Association des femmes peules autochtones du Tchad, the Global Greengrants Fund and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Submissions by the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program, Fundación Proclade and Corporación Claretiana. Individual submission by YiYi Prue. 9/27