The World Health Organization (WHO) has slowed the pace on the development of a Global Plan of Action to advance the health of indigenous peoples globally, with the Executive Board voting on Thursday to delay the plan’s final consideration until May 2027.

The draft strategy aims to address the stark health inequities faced by many indigenous communities, focusing on priority areas such as access to services, recognition of traditional knowledge, and climate resilience.

The decision to extend the deadline of the indigenous health plan by a full year reflects a consensus among member states to prioritise the legitimacy of the process over speed. By stepping back from the original 2026 target, the Board aims to ensure the “free, prior and informed consent” of the very populations addressed by the policy – indigenous communities that may be harder to reach or become engaged.

“Strengthening consultation mechanisms that are tailored to cultural and linguistic realities remains vital to guarantee effective participation,” stated the delegate for the Central African Republic, speaking on behalf of the 47 Member States of the African Region.

Fighting ‘digital barriers’ to enable real inclusion

Delegates in favour of the delay of the global indigenous health plan argued that a program built on a more limited engagement would fail.

Brazil reinforced the African Group’s stance, warning against the exclusion inherent in modern diplomatic processes. The Brazilian delegation noted its concern regarding the “limitations of consultations conducted exclusively online,” arguing that digital divides could silence the very voices the plan aims to empower.

Non-state actors also urged the Board to use the additional time to bridge the gap between western medicine and traditional practices. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) welcomed the proposal but stressed that the delay of the indigenous health plan must be used to centre “social participation and meaningful leadership.”

“Failure in protecting health holistically can result in severe health consequences,” the MSF representative stated, calling for a plan that respects “traditional medicines and knowledge encouraging dialogue with traditional healers”.

Indonesia rejects fixed ‘indigenous’ label, citing colonial history

While the delay was driven by a desire for inclusion, the session also exposed deep-seated political fault lines regarding what is an ‘indigenous’ community in the first place.

In a pointed intervention, Indonesia challenged the applicability of the term within its national context. As a multicultural and multi-ethnic country that obtained independence in 1945 after nearly 350 years of Dutch colonial rule, the concept of “indigenous peoples” does not fit their demographic reality, Indonesia’s delegate stated. The country is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse nations with over 1,300 ethnic groups that are largely native to the archipelago, but also significant minorities of Chinese-, Indian- and Arab-Indonesians.

While Indonesia voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007, it did so with a formal explanation that it would limit the declaration’s application within its borders.

“There is no one fixed definition of indigenous people and that concept is not applicable in our national context,” the Indonesian delegate to the EB stated, he underscored their position regarding the indigenous health action plan.

This statement has strong political implications, as conflicts between land claims put forward by local Indonesian communities faced with massive deforestation by the palm oil industry have intensified recently, human rights groups point out. Communities across Africa and Latin America’s Amazonia region also face massive health challenges due to incursions by the oil and gas industry, leaving health impacts not only from the loss of food sources and biodiversity due to deforestation but also from gas flaring, contamination of waterways and more.

The debated reflected the complexities the WHO Secretariat faces in drafting a global strategy that satisfies protects some of the world’s most vulnerable communities – facing challenges from powerful economic interests and political constituencies.

Image Credits: Felix Sassmannshausen.