Statement for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples concerning Myanmar

Mizzima

The following is a statement from Salween Peace Park and Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park for International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 9 August 2026:

On this August 9th 2026 we, the Indigenous Karen Communities of the Salween Peace Park (SPP) and the Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park (TTIP), gather to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This year, we honor our Indigenous midwives, whose knowledge and care have safeguarded the wellbeing of our communities for generations. We remain committed to protecting these traditional practices and ensuring this knowledge is passed on so that Karen youth can continue to learn, uphold, and strengthen this vital part of our cultural heritage.

Despite ongoing violence by the Burmese military government, and the growing threat of the Global Climate Crisis, we Indigenous communities of Kawthoolei continue to take bold steps in safeguarding life and wellbeing of both communities and nature. Via the declaration of a third Indigenous Conserved Territory, the Pawklo Indigenous Stewardship Territory, in April 2026 we are securing our rights to our ancestral territories through self-strengthening. This is not only a direct challenge to Myanmar’s national legal framework, which has for centuries refused to recognize our territorial and cultural rights, but a key step towards a future Federal Union founded on equity and respect for long-held culture and tradition.