Indigenous Peoples

The world’s approximately 476 million Indigenous Peoples are critical partners in development. They manage or hold tenure rights to approximately a quarter of the world's surface area, accounting for a significant portion of the world’s biodiversity, nearly half of the earth’s protected areas, and over half of the planet’s remaining intact forests.  

Despite their vital role in conservation, Indigenous Peoples experience disproportionately high levels of poverty. They make up only 6.2 percent of the global population, yet account for 18.2 percent of those living in extreme poverty worldwide. Indigenous Peoples’ life expectancy is up to 20 years lower than the rest of the population, and they face severe barriers to accessing basic services, education, infrastructure, and job opportunities. For example, in the Philippines, 46 percent of Indigenous Peoples’ households rely on unimproved sanitation facilities, compared to just 4 percent of other households. Only 57 percent of households from Indigenous Peoples have access to electricity for lighting purposes, compared to 95 percent of the rest of households. In Bolivia, the primary school completion rate for Indigenous women in rural areas is half the rate for non-indigenous men, at 25.6 percent vs. 52.5 percent.

A recent World Bank study adds to evidence of Indigenous Peoples’ historic reliance on ancestral knowledge, cultural practices, and strong governance systems to sustain their communities and adapt to challenges. Secure land rights and access to basic services are key to their resilience and to their continued stewardship of the world’s ecosystems.

The World Bank works closely with governments, Indigenous Peoples and development partners around the world to recognize and support Indigenous Peoples’ unique vision, knowledge and contributions as partners for development solutions and a livable planet for all.

Last Updated: Apr 07, 2025

The World Bank is committed to supporting Indigenous Peoples' well-being with its client countries through a range of interventions. First, with client countries, we promote Indigenous Peoples’ visibility and societal awareness of key challenges and priorities through research, country policy dialogue, and by improving institutional capacity. Second, as requested by client governments, we support investment and policy lending to advance priority policy reforms or investments for and with Indigenous Peoples. Third, when Indigenous Peoples are present within investment project areas or when they have a collective attachment to such areas and meet the criteria established within our Environmental and Social Standard 7 (ESS7), the World Bank ensures that they are meaningfully consulted while avoiding or mitigating any potential adverse impacts. Finally, the World Bank provides direct grants to Indigenous peoples' organizations; these are subject to a ‘no objection’ sign-off by their member country.

Over the past two decades, the World Bank has developed multiple analytical products that have contributed to global understanding of Indigenous Peoples and their key development challenges, priorities, and innovations. This focus has also increased in our own country analyses. For example, in Systematic Country Diagnostics (SCDs) for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples were noted in only 16 percent of these studies in 2014. As of 2021, 93 percent of SCDs now include the issue.  

Building on this analytical work and practical experience, the Bank has provided technical assistance for governments and Indigenous Peoples to enhance strategic country and regional level dialogues with Indigenous Peoples to build trust, inform policies, and facilitate investments co-designed or with strong Indigenous Peoples’ support across the world. Examples range from the 2024 World Bank-Indigenous Peoples regional dialogues held in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific with more than 150 Indigenous participants from over 50 countries, to country-level support in Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Philippines, Panama, among many others.  

At the request of client governments, the World Bank also supports investment and policy lending to advance Indigenous Peoples’ development and policy priorities. This is achieved through the integration of Indigenous Peoples’ development priorities into project objectives, indicators, targeted and/or tailored components & activities, and specific measures to ensure representation of Indigenous Peoples in project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Examples include the National Indigenous Peoples Development Plan Project in Panama and the Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project in India.   

At the same time, in World Bank investment project financing, the Environmental and Social Standard 7 on Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities (ESS7) contributes to overall development by ensuring that projects supported by the Bank enhance opportunities for Indigenous Peoples to participate in, and benefit from, the investments financed by the Bank in ways that respect their collective rights, promote their aspirations, and do not threaten or impact their unique cultural identities and ways of life. Currently, ESS7 is being applied in approximately 33 percent of the Bank’s investment lending.

The World Bank has also gained experience with direct financing for Indigenous Peoples through three Multi-Donor Trust Funds. This has allowed us to support innovations with Indigenous Peoples to directly inform national policies and systems and enhance their participation in development. These mechanisms include: the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Capacity Building Program (FCPFF)  (2009 – 2022), which provided $9.9 million in regional grants to Indigenous Peoples and local communities' organizations; the Dedicated Grant Mechanism (DGM), launched in 2010, which has supported $80 million across 12 country-level projects; and  Enhancing Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions (EnABLE), initiated in 2020, which provides $3-4 million grants in 15 Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) countries.

Last Updated: Apr 07, 2025

The following examples highlight World Bank support for analytics, policy dialogue, country investments, and direct financing for Indigenous Peoples at the global, regional, and national levels.

Advancing knowledge and analytics relevant for Indigenous Peoples

• In the Philippines, a 2023 World Bank flagship report, No Data No Story: Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, was completed in collaboration with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). The report compiled critical Indigenous Peoples’ data and included a land and conflict analysis. It was complemented by an Indigenous Peoples and Ancestral Domain Portal and the country’s first Indigenous Peoples Household Survey.  

World Bank direct dialogues with Indigenous Peoples

• At a global level, the Bank engages on an ongoing basis with Indigenous leaders at high-level events and in bilateral meetings to deepen understanding of their priorities while also sharing information on the Bank’s work and lessons from our engagements in other regions. Finally, it serves to facilitate dialogue for Indigenous organizations with the Bank’s regional and country teams.  For example, in February 2025, four Indigenous leaders were invited to share their unique perspectives with 1,800 World Bank staff working on Social Development, Environment, Climate Change, Water, and Agriculture worldwide. They wove their personal stories into critical messages for the Bank and the global community, reinforcing how spirituality, traditional knowledge, and cultural practices are critical not only for their own resilience but also to safeguard 1/3 of the world’s ecosystems that they currently own or manage for future generations.

• At a regional level, four dialogues covering Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific were organized in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Kenya, Cambodia, Colombia, and Fiji in 2024. With over 150 Indigenous Peoples' thought leaders from more than 50 countries, this was a space for discussion of priorities and challenges and of ideas for enhanced collaboration at country levels. Examples of follow-up actions include identifying and mobilizing funds to support Kenya’s proposal for advancing the design and implementation of a national policy and institutional framework for Indigenous Peoples and Traditionally Marginalized Communities, establishing the format for future dialogues in Asia, and strengthening cooperation with the Abya Yala Indigenous Forum (FIAY), the Indigenous Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) and the Youth Indigenous Network of Latin America on priority issues.

• The World Bank’s Latin America and Caribbean team maintains an ongoing dialogue and strategic work with FIAY and FILAC to enhance mutual understanding, improve the application of ESS7, and include Indigenous Peoples in Bank policy dialogue and investments in the region. Specific results include (i) technical assistance for governments and Country Management Units on Indigenous Peoples policies and issues; (ii) organizational strengthening for Indigenous organizations; and (iii) analytical work, including a flagship regional report Indigenous Latin America in the Twenty-First Century, launched in 2016.

• At the national level, in Panama, the World Bank has been actively engaging with Indigenous Peoples through the National Council of Indigenous Peoples (CONDIPI). This collaboration is part of the World Bank’s Support for the National Indigenous Peoples Development Plan Project for Panama, which aims to strengthen institutional and governance capacities for both the Government of Panama and Indigenous authorities. Key initiatives include organizing assemblies and meetings to facilitate direct dialogue, providing logistical support and enhancing the quality and cultural relevance of public services in education, health, and water and sanitation within Indigenous territories. These efforts are designed to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are actively involved in the decision-making processes that affect their development and well-being. 

• In Peru, the Amazonian Indigenous Peoples Dialogue Roundtable was established in 2024 as a formal, ongoing platform for collaboration between the World Bank and key organizations working with Indigenous Peoples in the Peruvian Amazon. The roundtable aims to align priorities and co-design solutions on bioeconomy, territorial security, resource management, and other shared goals. Since then, Indigenous Peoples have gained stronger connections with the World Bank, enhancing their meaningful participation in consultations, events, and initiatives at both national and international levels.

• In Kenya, the Bank is supporting the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) to develop an Inclusive Development Framework for Marginalized Communities. This engagement aims to establish an institutional and policy framework for Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized communities in Kenya.

Investing in Indigenous Peoples’ Priorities

• In Kenya, the Financing Locally Led Climate Action Program (FLLoCA) is supporting partnerships between governments and communities to assess climate risks and identify solutions that are tailored to local needs and priorities. Indigenous Peoples represent a significant proportion of beneficiaries.

• In Panama, in 2018, the Bank approved the first loan in more than 20 years for $80 million to support Indigenous Peoples’ vision for development through the National Indigenous Peoples Development Plan. Jointly developed by Indigenous Peoples, the government, and the World Bank, this project aims to strengthen governance systems, putting Indigenous Peoples in the driver’s seat in their own development, all while supporting improvements in access, quality, and cultural pertinence of basic service delivery, in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples’ vision and development priorities. 

• In the Philippines, the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project is the first World Bank-financed project in the country focused exclusively on improving agriculture development in Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domain.

Direct Financing Mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples

• In 2020, the World Bank established a multi-donor trust fund, Enhancing Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions (EnABLE), to strengthen social inclusion and gender equality in World Bank results-based finance for emissions reductions programs. EnABLE has started preparing grants for Indonesia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Nepal, Costa Rica, and Ghana with other countries to follow.  

• The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s Capacity Building Program (2009-2022) financed $9.9 million in regional grants to Indigenous Peoples and local communities' organizations in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. They supported Indigenous Peoples capacity building and participation in REDD+ through 110 projects in 35 countries.  

• The Dedicated Grant Mechanism (DGM) started in 2010 and has supported $80 million in 12 country level projects for Indigenous Peoples and local communities for forest management, livelihoods, and security of land tenure. In each country, a National Steering Committee is established by community-appointed representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local organizations who govern the DGM, including the design of the project and selection of the implementing agency. A new phase of the DGM was recently approved by the CIF’s Nature, People and Climate Program and will support DGMs, in conjunction with national investment programs in 10 countries, including Brazil, Fiji, and Kenya.

Last Updated: Apr 07, 2025