9 August 2017: On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, UN officials stressed that indigenous peoples “are left behind on all fronts,” facing disproportionately high levels of racism, discrimination and poverty, lower life expectancy, and worse educational outcomes. The Day recognized that, despite progress in the formal recognition of indigenous peoples and their rights in several countries since the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), indigenous people are facing even greater struggles and rights violations than 10 years ago.
This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples focused on the theme, ’10th Anniversary of the UNDRIP.’ The Declaration, which took more than twenty years to negotiate, established a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples. According to the UN, the UNDRIP is the most comprehensive international instrument on indigenous peoples’ collective rights, including the rights to self-determination, traditional lands, territories and resources, education, culture, health and development.
A joint statement finds that implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is obstructed by “persisting vulnerability and exclusion,” especially among indigenous women, children, youth and persons with disabilities.
On the Day, more than 40 UN system entities and other international organizations released a joint statement, which states that indigenous peoples have made “significant advancements” in advocating for their rights in international and regional fora. However, the statement underlines, the Declaration’s implementation is obstructed by “persisting vulnerability and exclusion,” especially among indigenous women, children, youth and persons with disabilities.
A statement by the International Labor Organization (ILO) calls for addressing marginalization and social exclusion faced by indigenous peoples as part of the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In its statement, the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) explains that, in contrast to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in which indigenous peoples “were largely left invisible,” the SDGs include explicit consideration of indigenous peoples, with six references to indigenous peoples in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including in SDG 2 (zero hunger), on agricultural output of indigenous small-scale farmers, and SDG 4 (quality education), on equal access to education for indigenous children.
ILO underscores the role of indigenous peoples in SDG implementation, explaining that, as workers, entrepreneurs and custodians of traditional knowledge, they play a key role in the economic, social, cultural, and environmental life of their communities and societies. ILO also highlights that indigenous peoples constitute a disproportionate 15% of the world’s poor when they represent only 5% of the world’s population, while indigenous women “are commonly the poorest of the poor.” To address this challenge, ILO calls for political will and effective policies and legislation that tackle the structural factors underpinning their discrimination.
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General, Irina Bokova, praises indigenous peoples for being “custodians and practitioners of unique cultures and relationships with the natural environment.” She further highlights their essential role in preserving the linguistic and cultural diversity of humanity and notes that UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report provides guidance on advancing indigenous peoples’ rights.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated annually on 9 August, in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982. A special event took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US, with a variety of additional events and activities in UN offices around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
The UN Department of Public Information (DPI) partnered with Twitter to create and promote a branded emoji for the hashtags #WeAreIndigenous and #IndigenousDay, to empower indigenous peoples to share their cultures and perspectives in a global conversation. The hashtag will be live until 15 September 2017, to include the date of the adoption of the Declaration – 13 September. [International Day of the World ‘s Indigenous People] [Joint statement by the Inter-Agency Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues] [Joint statement by the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples] [UN Press Release] [ILO Statement] [UNRIC Press Release] [UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples][SDG Knowledge Hub story about UN event marking the Day]