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| Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Region served | Asia |
| Leader title | Coordinator |
Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network The Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network is a regional coalition formed in 1996 to support indigenous and tribal peoples across Asia, linking communities from South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia and the Russian Far East. It engages with regional bodies and international mechanisms to promote indigenous rights, traditional livelihoods, cultural survival and land tenure security.
The Network emerged after gatherings of activists associated with the Indigenous Peoples' Summit, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Global Forest Coalition and representatives from movements linked to Adivasi Sabha, Karen National Union, Garo Hills, Chakma, Naga and Ainu delegations. Early convenings in Bangkok connected delegates from Mongolia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and intersected with processes around the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Labour Organization Convention 169. The Network’s formation responded to regional events such as conflicts in Aceh, the Kashmir conflict, and land dispossession linked to projects like the Narmada Dam and Three Gorges Dam.
The Network aims to secure rights affirmed in instruments like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through capacity building with partners such as Minority Rights Group International, Forest Peoples Programme, Cultural Survival and Rainforest Foundation Norway. Objectives include strengthening indigenous governance as practiced by communities such as the Hmong, Karen, Lisu, Munda, Santals, Batek and Sakhalin Ainu; defending customary land claims in contexts like the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Hezbollah-unrelated local disputes; preserving languages like Ainu language, Tibetan language and Biate language; and promoting traditional resource management methods used by Sami-related northern groups, Yakut communities and Evenks.
Membership comprises indigenous organizations, tribal councils, youth groups and elders’ councils from countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Macao and Hong Kong. The Network’s governance features a secretariat, regional coordinators and thematic working groups modeled after structures used by ASEAN, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. It collaborates with indigenous research institutes such as TAROD-affiliated centers, the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (CIK), university partners like Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of the Philippines, Chulalongkorn University and think tanks including Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Programs include legal aid initiatives inspired by precedents like the Landmark Cases in India and advocacy campaigns influenced by the Chipko movement and Narmada Bachao Andolan. Activities cover community mapping using methods from the Participatory GIS movement, cultural revitalization projects with artisans from the Igorot and Maranao peoples, environmental stewardship partnering with WWF, IUCN and Fauna & Flora International, and emergency response coordination during disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Training modules draw on curricula from International Union for Conservation of Nature initiatives and the Right to Food jurisprudence advanced in courts like the Supreme Court of India.
The Network has engaged with mechanisms like the UNFCCC for indigenous climate advocacy, contributed submissions to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and participated in regional policy dialogues with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the Asian Development Bank. It has supported strategic litigation modeled on cases in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and domestic rulings in Philippines and India that protect ancestral domain and customary rights. Through campaigns echoing the work of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the Network has elevated cases involving forced displacement, dam-induced resettlement and extractive industry impacts linked to corporations operating in Borneo, Sumatra, Mekong basin and Kedah.
Partnerships include collaboration with UN bodies like the United Nations Development Programme, UNESCO, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and engagement with funding and advocacy partners such as Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Oxfam, UN Women and Care International. The Network coordinates with regional NGOs including Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Forest Peoples Programme, Tebtebba Foundation and research groups like The Asia Foundation, BRIDGE and International Fund for Agricultural Development. It also liaises with indigenous parliamentary caucuses, community radio projects modeled after Radio Free Asia and cultural festivals akin to the Hornbill Festival.
Challenges include navigating restrictive legal environments in jurisdictions such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Nagaland and West Papua, securing sustainable funding amid shifting priorities from donors like SIDA and USAID, and addressing internal representation tensions among groups such as Dalits, hill tribes and urban indigenous migrants. Critics from academic circles associated with Postcolonial Studies and advocacy organizations like Survival International have argued about accountability, transparency, and the balancing of traditional authority with youth-led movements exemplified by activists from Adivasi Mahasabha and Karen Women Organization. The Network also contends with threats from extractive projects backed by state-owned enterprises and multinationals active in regions including Kalimantan, Mongolian steppe and the Irrawaddy Delta.
Category:Indigenous rights organizations in Asia