On 12 October 2026, Margherita Calice, Attaché at the Permanent Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations, delivered an intervention on the rights of Indigenous Peoples during the Third Committee of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, following a briefing by Mr. Albert Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The intervention highlighted the persistent inequalities faced by Indigenous communities worldwide, particularly in accessing essential services such as healthcare, education and clean water. It also underscored the importance of recognising Indigenous Peoples not merely as beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance, but as active partners in shaping the policies and programmes that affect their lives.

Drawing on the Order of Malta’s humanitarian work in Colombia, Ms Calice presented the example of the Wayuu people in La Guajira, where the Order supported 53 young people from Wayuu communities in training as Technical Nursing Assistants in 2025. By bringing together ancestral knowledge and Western medicine, while enabling healthcare workers to communicate in Wayuunaiki, the language of the Wayuu, the initiative helps improve access to culturally appropriate healthcare and strengthen local capacity.
The intervention emphasised that sustainable humanitarian action must be developed with Indigenous communities, rather than simply for them. Their knowledge, cultural traditions and voices must remain central to the decisions that shape their futures.

The Order of Malta therefore encouraged Member States and other stakeholders to strengthen meaningful partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, ensuring that their rights, knowledge and perspectives are respected and integrated into humanitarian and development efforts.