Participatory Framework for Respectful Engagement with Indigenous Peoples on Biodiversity, Health and Traditional Knowledge Systems

Overview

The WHO Framework for Respectful Engagement with Indigenous Peoples on Biodiversity, Health and Traditional Knowledge Systems provides practical guidance for on respectful engagement with Indigenous Peoples across biodiversity, health and traditional knowledge systems. Coordinated jointly by WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration (ECO) and the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC), the Framework is grounded in the rights affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other relevant international instruments and standards. Developed through WHO-convened participatory processes spanning global dialogue, strategic dialogues, peer review and continuous engagement with Indigenous Peoples from across the seven Indigenous sociocultural regions, it translates internationally recognized rights into practical guidance for respectful, rights-based engagement while supporting self-determination, Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Indigenous data sovereignty, reciprocity, shared governance, safeguards and accountability. The version currently available is the unedited final draft launched during the nineteenth session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in July 2026.