LocationsIndigenous youth are harnessing digital skills, legal knowledge, and climate leadership to protect their rights, preserve their cultures, and lead change from within their communities.
Indigenous Youth Leaders Bridging the Digital Divide Through Technology for Climate Justice
August 5, 2025
Photo Credit: Hill Resource Centre (HRC), Bangladesh
Indigenous youth are standing at the intersection of vulnerability and leadership amidst the climate change impacts and opportunities to act. In Bangladesh and the Philippines, young people from Indigenous communities are reclaiming their rights and their voices through digital empowerment, legal awareness, and grassroots climate action despite often being excluded from the public sphere.
However, many Indigenous youths continue to face a significant digital divide, with limited access to connectivity, devices, and digital literacy opportunities further deepening their exclusion in a world that increasingly relies on technology for advocacy and action.
A regional initiative supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with HP Inc. and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) is proof of how technology can strengthen youth leadership in climate justice. It has reached and equipped more than 1,300 young leaders with the tools to lead sustainable change in their own communities.
A Rights-Based, Tech-Enabled Approach
From flash floods in Bangladesh to land disputes in the Philippines, Indigenous communities are facing escalating threats to their ways of life. These frontline realities are heightened by digital exclusion, limited civic space, conflict in the governance dynamics, and a lack of access to education and resources. Recognizing this, UNDP, HP Inc., and AIPP launched a pilot project in 2024 to empower Indigenous youth through digital and legal literacy, climate knowledge, and peer-led leadership development.
The initiative, supported by the Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP) and Asia Indigenous Youth Platform (AIYP), used a “train-the-trainer” approach, combining online modules, in-person workshops, and small grants for local storytelling and documentation.
Photo Credit: Hill Resource Centre (HRC), Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Building Knowledge and Reclaiming Cultural Identity
In partnership with Hill Resource Centre (HRC), the project in Bangladesh directly trained and empowered 20 Indigenous youth fellows in digital literacy, legal empowerment, storytelling, and advocacy. These sessions focused on both national and international frameworks including the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and women’s rights mechanisms while integrating 21st century skills and climate education.
Participants highlighted the urgent need for foundational knowledge at the grassroots level. “The Indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Satkhira face multifaceted challenges due to climate change and development processes. Alongside protecting their traditional knowledge, culture, and land rights, it is essential to take coordinated action at the local, national, and international levels to address these impacts. The knowledge gained from this workshop helps participants amplify the rights of Indigenous peoples, environmental issues, and traditional knowledge in international forums,” said Anup Munda, a youth volunteer from the Hill Resource Centre.
Subsequently, the young fellows led community workshops and boot camps, reaching over 600 individuals including youth, elders, and women with awareness-raising sessions on climate change, rights, and Indigenous knowledge systems. With support from HP Inc., youth were also trained to use mobile phones for videography, editing, and community documentation.
HRC will continue supporting community sharing sessions and gender-focused trainings, while helping youth produce visual documentaries that capture climate impacts and Indigenous resilience through digital storytelling.
Photo Credit: Siklab, Philippines
The Philippines: Digital Safety and Indigenous Advocacy
In the Philippines, the project’s rollout was led by youth-led organization Siklab. Ten Indigenous youth fellows were selected as local leaders across 10 communities ranging from Northern, Central, and Southern Luzon, Cebu, to Mindanao.
More than 400 Indigenous youth strengthened their understanding of legal rights, climate justice, and digital safety through localized training. They learned to document rights violations, navigate online threats, and use secure tools, which are critical skills in the Philippines, where Indigenous youth often face surveillance and digital harassment.
The training also covered the use of encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, and digital risk assessment strategies. These practical skills strengthened their ability to safeguard their communities and advocate for their rights even in increasingly hostile online environments.
The focus on digital safety, storytelling, and secure engagement helped expand their reach and deepen community resilience. Through collective efforts, ten youth focal points led follow-up discussions and shared training content with 369 additional participants. Despite ongoing risks, Siklab continues to engage new communities, including Indigenous youth in urban settings, to explore safer, more adaptable models of digital advocacy.
Learning for the Future
Regardless of different country contexts, both Bangladesh and the Philippines offer valuable lessons learned. In Bangladesh, the demand for rights education, digital skills, and climate storytelling reaffirmed the importance of meeting youth where they are, in their language, on their land, and through their lived experience. These skills not only empower youth but also have the potential to strengthen social cohesion and peacebuilding when applied collectively to shared challenges such as environmental protection or cultural preservation. In the Philippines, there is a strong need for integrated protection and security strategies as empowerment cannot be pursued without safety.
The learning reflects the core values of the partnership: equity, agency, and solidarity. The initiative is part of a larger movement to mainstream youth-led climate action and digital inclusion across the region. "We learned about climate change, legal empowerment, digital skills, and documentation. How to speak up for and protect nature, and how to work as a team to help people in need," added Sushree Chakma, a youth volunteer from HRC.
Photo Credit: Siklab, Philippines
A Foundation, Not a Finish Line
The UNDP, HP Inc., and AIPP-supported pilot has laid a solid foundation for the ongoing and future capacity building activities led by and for Indigenous youth. The training materials, peer-to-peer models, and community innovations are being integrated into YECAP’s broader programming separately to this project to ensure long-term sustainability in response to on-the-ground realities. This includes adapting modules for low-connectivity areas and translating them into local languages, with an emphasis on protecting digital rights and fostering self-determined advocacy.
“We recognized that human rights defenders—especially youth and those protecting Indigenous land and climate justice—are at risk of being negatively impacted by business activities across the value chain. That’s why we’re proud to have supported this project to promote their leadership, safety, and digital empowerment,” said Alex Michalko, Director of Climate and Responsible Sourcing at HP Inc.
As UNDP continues its work across Asia and the Pacific, the message is clear: youth empowerment is essential to building resilience. With the right support, including technology, networks, and safe spaces, Indigenous youth are not only responding to the climate crisis, but they are also redefining it. Through digital skills, they are preserving cultural heritage, protecting their rights, and reimagining a collective future on their own terms.
The power to act lies in the hands of young people. With the right tools and trust, they are already leading the way.