UN to Mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples With Focus on Indigenous Midwives

The United Nations will mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Monday, August 10, with a virtual commemoration highlighting the vital role Indigenous midwives play in safeguarding the health, well-being and cultural continuity of their communities.

The 2026 theme is “Honouring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being.”

The International Day is officially observed each year on August 9. In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 49/214 establishing August 9 as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The date commemorates the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in 1982.

Because August 9 falls on a Sunday this year, the UN’s virtual commemoration will be held Monday, August 10.

The event will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. EDT (New York time).

CLICK to Register.

The virtual program will begin with an Indigenous spiritual ceremony, followed by statements from senior United Nations officials and the chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Two moderated dialogues will then focus on Indigenous midwifery, traditional knowledge and the need for greater recognition and support.

Indigenous Midwives as Knowledge Holders

The first dialogue, “Indigenous Midwives as Knowledge Holders and Guardians of Well-being,” will highlight Indigenous midwifery as a living Indigenous knowledge system.

Indigenous midwives have long served communities not only by supporting pregnancy and childbirth, but also by carrying knowledge passed from generation to generation. Their work can encompass cultural practices, traditional knowledge, family and community relationships, and approaches to maternal and infant well-being.

The discussion will examine the contributions Indigenous midwives make to the health and well-being of their communities, as well as the challenges they face in maintaining and transmitting traditional knowledge.

From Recognition to Action

The second dialogue, “From Recognition to Action: Protecting and Supporting Indigenous Midwifery,” will focus on what governments and institutions can do to recognize and strengthen Indigenous midwifery.

Participants will examine policy reforms and practical approaches for recognizing Indigenous midwifery as an important Indigenous knowledge system. The discussion will also consider how governments can implement international commitments, human rights obligations and recommendations related to Indigenous peoples.

The UN commemoration is intended to draw attention not only to the importance of Indigenous midwives, but also to the need to protect the knowledge systems that underpin their work.

For many Indigenous communities, midwifery represents a connection between health, culture, family, land and community. Supporting Indigenous midwives therefore involves more than expanding access to health services; it also means respecting Indigenous knowledge and the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain, practice and pass that knowledge to future generations.

The virtual event will include interpretation between English and Spanish, provided by Land is Life.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples provides an annual opportunity for the global community to recognize the contributions, rights and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples while drawing attention to issues affecting Indigenous communities around the world.

This year’s focus on Indigenous midwives places particular attention on those who help bring new life into Indigenous communities while carrying forward knowledge and traditions that have endured for generations.