11 August 2015
International Day Spotlights Indigenous Peoples’ Health, Wellbeing
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The UN marked the 2015 International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples with a call for improving access to healthcare services.

The 'State of the World's Indigenous Peoples: Volume 2,' an advance copy of which was launched for the Day, notes that indigenous peoples face destruction of their lands, territories and resources, including through the impacts of climate change and environmental contamination by heavy metals, industrial gases and effluent wastes.

international_day_worlds_indigenous-peoples10 August 2015: The UN marked the 2015 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with a call for improving access to healthcare services. It also launched a publication focusing on health-related needs for indigenous peoples in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The 2015 Day was organized on the theme, ‘Post-2015 Agenda: Ensuring indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing.’

A special event to mark the Day took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 10 August 2015, organized by the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) and the Department of Public Information.

In his message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that most challenges to indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing are preventable, including inadequate sanitation and housing, lack of prenatal care, and violence against women. He pointed to high rates of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse, youth suicide and infant mortality among indigenous peoples around the world, saying these should be urgently addressed.

The ‘State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: Volume 2,’ an advance copy of which was launched for the Day, finds that poor living conditions, low income and employment rates, and lack of access to safe water, sanitation, food and health care all affect the health status of indigenous peoples. The report also notes that indigenous peoples face destruction of their lands, territories and resources, including through the impacts of climate change and environmental contamination by heavy metals, industrial gases and effluent wastes. Indigenous peoples experience structural barriers in accessing health care, such as geographical isolation, poverty and discrimination, as well as lack of recognition for their social and cultural practices, it also finds.

On the occasion of the International Day, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted its work on a UN-wide plan to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in a coordinated manner. The UN-wide initiative, referred to as the UN System Wide Action Plan (SWAP), was called for at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) in September 2014, and includes a survey and consultations with indigenous peoples around the world. The global survey has identified climate change and environmental degradation as affecting indigenous peoples’ lands and way of life. UNDP recently approved social and environment standards to ensure that its own projects foster full respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.

Alejandra Pero, Equator Initiative, called on governments to ensure that implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) respects the value of indigenous knowledge and includes indigenous peoples in decision making. He said that while information technologies provide the means to record traditional knowledge, it is necessary to clarify questions of access, storage and rights to such information.

The UN has commemorated International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August each year since 1994. Eighty percent of the world’s indigenous peoples live in Asia, Africa and Latin America. [UN Secretary-General’s Message] [UNDP Blog Post on UNDRIP] [State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – Vol. 2] [Equator Initiative Blog Post] [Background Information on International Day] [Webcast of Special Event] [Statement of UN Secretary-General at Special Event]


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