Asian Framework on Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty

The Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty (IKDS) Asian Framework was developed by the Asian Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and their extended networks and partners to emphasize the importance of Indigenous Knowledge. Indigenous knowledge held by individuals, knowledge-holders, or groups, is of crucial importance to maintaining our cultural identity, creating solutions to conflict through indigenous justice, managing the risks and impacts of climate change, protecting biodiversity, achieving sustainable development, and building resilience in the face of extreme events such as those resulting from climate change, environmental destruction, or zoonotic diseases.

Indigenous knowledge is knowledge that belongs to Indigenous Peoples found in our territories, and our knowledge system embodies both traditional knowledge and practices and innovation and discoveries that we continue to develop for our common good. By virtue of the ageless essence of the indigenous philosophy of life, our heritage is a continuum that unites us with our ancestors, and is endowed with the sacred responsibility to our children and to the generations that will follow us.

We, the Indigenous Peoples of Asia, assume the commitment and responsibility incumbent upon the present generation to reclaim sovereignty over our heritage and to continue to protect and develop our knowledge in perpetual respect for our ancestors and future generations and the sacredness of the land, water, and sky.

The framework outlines the key values and principles that are necessary to uphold these Asian indigenous ways of knowing that respects our rights.