Masyarakat Adat (Indigenous Peoples)

About Indigenous People's Initiatives

Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat (IMA) - Indigenous Peoples Initiative

IMA is an indigenous peoples organization founded by Nukila Evanty, an indigenous woman from Rokan Hilir Riau.

Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat (IMA) was established due to the increasing erosion of the environment and natural resources of indigenous peoples and local communities in Indonesia and globally. IMA’s goal is to protect the rights of Indigenous Environmental and Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, including the rights to the environment, nature, social, and culture. IMA has been working to promote indigenous peoples as the guardians of nature since 2017 and received legal registration in 2023. IMA works guided on several international conventions, including; the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. Key issues that are of concern to IMA are:

1. Sustaining indigenous knowledge and indigenous wisdom;

2. Environmental protection and conservation, including its biodiversity and ecosystem;

3. Empowering indigenous women’s and youth

4. Activating the Nature Guardians joined up from indigenous peoples.

IMA cannot carry out its mission alone, it needs to network with the central government, the provincial, district and village levels (in social services, cultural services, forestry, marine and fisheries services, education services and so on), research institutions and universities, and NGOs/CSOs as well. Some of IMA’s activities that can be highlighted are;

1. Advocacy research for indigenous peoples in Riau province in times of climate change (supported by UNESCO and the Indonesia Trust Fund) 2017;

2. Research for the women of the Sea Nomad People supported by FIMI in 2024;

3. Research on the Akit tribe in Riau as being published in Mongabay 2025;

4. Advocacy of local communities in Sepang Bay, Bengkulu, on facing the energy transition project (PLTU) in 2025.

Indigenous communities are the guardians of culture, traditions, and knowledge passed down from their ancestors on land, sea, and natural resources for future generations.

Nukila Evanty

Our International Networks/Coalitions includes:

• The Coalition for Human Rights in Development

• International Indigenous Women's Forum (FIMI)

• Equator Initiative (UNDP)

• Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI)

• The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

• The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC)

• Accountability Counsel

• Bank Climate Advocates

Approaches

Our approaches of advocacy, research, community engagement, education, and capacity building as a deliberate, evidence-based process designed to influence decision-makers, shape public opinion, and drive policy change.

IMA has represented Indonesia in various international forums; including UNPFII (UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples Issues) 2023 in New York, USA, appointed as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) observer supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2025, and speak as an expert on Environmental crimes at Intergovernmental Expert Group (IEG) meeting held by UNODC, Vienna, Austria, as of July 2025 and as received as accredited observer in London, UK at IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) forum in 2026.

Mandate

We promote and protect the interest and well-being of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples with due regard to their beliefs, customs traditions, and indigenous institutions.

Mission

A trusted partner and lead advocate of Indigenous Cultural Communities /Indigenous Peoples in upholding their rights and well-being as anchored in international human rights law with the foundational document is the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) adopted in 2007.

Our Services

Support the protection of the rights and culture of indigenous peoples.

Nature Conservation

Protecting biodiversity and native ecosystems.

Indigenous Knowledge

Supporting the sustainability of local policies and wisdom.

Empowerment

Strengthening indigenous women and youth in communities.

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