Several indigenous women from Asia participated in the tenth anniversary of the Indigenous Women’s Global Leadership School (GLS) held on 27-29 February 2024 in La Antigua, Guatemala. The GLS is a program of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum/Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indígenas (IIWF/FIMI) to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of indigenous women on human rights, United Nations human rights systems and processes, and international advocacy.

The women were able to participate in the different editions of the GLS through the endorsement of the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network considering their different initiatives to advance the human rights of indigenous women in their respective communities and organizations. Some of the women endorsed were also part of the ELATIA partners in Asia. 

During the said tenth anniversary gathering, the women together with other GLS alumni from other global regions shared their reflections on the contributions or impacts of their participation to the GLS in their local communities and organizations. They also highlighted the best practices adopted from the GLS as well as lessons learned from the implementation of their advocacy plans. Moreover, the women shared their ideas on how future editions of the GLS can be more enriched.

Implemented since 2013, the GLS contributed to capacity building of indigenous women in acquiring better understanding of concepts, frameworks, mechanisms and processes on human rights at the United Nations level. The participants were also introduced to different advocacy tools which they can utilize in their various advocacy initiatives. Selected participants were provided small grants to implement their advocacy plans in their own countries. 

Indigenous and human rights experts as well as other resource persons mentored the participants during the virtual training sessions and during the in-person sessions held in New York. As part of the GLS, the participants attended sessions of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) where they experienced drafting and delivering their statements or interventions on the themes of the Permanent Forum. They also participated in seminars conducted at Columbia University in New York.