14 August 2026 - Indigenous midwives are much more than healthcare workers. They are caregivers, educators, and knowledge holders who play a crucial role in ensuring the continuity of Indigenous Peoples¡¯ ways of life for future generations. Their work reflects a living knowledge system that embodies the connections between territory, spirituality, and ways of life.
On 9 August 2026, the vital role of Indigenous midwives took center stage as the United Nations observed the International Day of the World¡¯s Indigenous Peoples. To mark the occasion, UN DESA convened a virtual commemoration on 10 August, under the theme ¡°Honoring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being¡±, which brought together Indigenous midwives, knowledge holders, policy and human rights experts. The event highlighted the critical role of Indigenous midwifery in sustaining well-being, cultural identity and Indigenous knowledge systems.
The commemoration opened with a ceremony led by Mar¨ªa Qui?elen, a Mapuche midwife, healer, and keeper of ancestral knowledge. The ceremony was followed by welcome remarks from Charles Katoanga, Director of UN DESA¡¯s Division for Inclusive Social Development, who recognized the vital role of Indigenous midwives. He noted that ¡°as custodians of Indigenous knowledge systems, Indigenous midwives promote holistic approaches to health that strengthen cultural continuity, community well-being, and resilience.¡± Aluki Kotierk, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues said in her remarks that ¡°the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a clear framework for protecting this living heritage. It affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to determine our own social, cultural, and economic development.¡±The first dialogue explored Indigenous midwifery as a living knowledge system rooted in community, culture, and self-determination. Martha Arotingo, a Kichwa ancestral midwife from Ecuador, emphasized that protecting Indigenous midwives also means protecting the knowledge, identity and traditions they carry across generations.
The second dialogue moved from recognition to action, including policy, and the legal and institutional efforts required to protect Indigenous midwifery. Victoria Bertolino from the Pan American Health Organization emphasized that culturally appropriate health systems must be developed together with Indigenous Peoples, rather than imposed upon them. ¡°Social participation is absolutely key. Intercultural health cannot be built for the Peoples; it belongs to the Peoples and is built with the Peoples.¡±
In closing, Astrid Hurley from UN DESA, emphasized that Indigenous midwives must be respected for ¡°who they are, the knowledge they transmit, [and] the role that they play.¡± She called for mutual exchange and co-creation in policymaking relevant to Indigenous midwifery, while stressing the need to move from commitment to concrete action, and to uphold the right of Indigenous Peoples to maintain and transmit their knowledge systems to future generations.
Watch the event recording here: