9 August 2017: Celebrating the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, representatives of indigenous peoples and UN high-level officials called on Member States to close the gap between words and action and deliver equality and full rights for all indigenous people. The high-level event convened at UN Headquarters in New York, US, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Following 20 years of negotiations, in 2007, the Declaration established a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples. According to a UN press release, UNDRIP is the most comprehensive international instrument on indigenous peoples’ collective rights, such as the rights to self-determination, traditional lands, territories and resources, education, culture, health and development.

In opening remarks, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Zhenmin Liu noted that, despite progress in the formal recognition of indigenous peoples and their rights in several countries since the UNDRIP adoption, they still face disproportionately high levels of poverty, racism and discrimination. Reminding participants of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s commitment to leave no one behind, Liu stressed that, when available, indicators on indigenous peoples show that indigenous peoples are among the most left behind groups on all fronts. The Under-Secretary-General invited Member States and UN agencies to work together to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Agenda and advance indigenous peoples’ rights.

The Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) said indigenous peoples face greater struggles and rights violations than 10 years ago, including loss of land, exclusion from decision making and violence.

Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), on behalf of the Permanent Forum, the Special Rapporteur and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said indigenous peoples are now facing even greater struggles and rights violations than 10 years ago, including loss of land, exclusion from decision making and violence. Aboubakrine stressed that indigenous women are the poorest of the poor, facing double discrimination, both for being indigenous and for being women. She called on Member States to ensure respect for indigenous peoples’ rights and to support conflict-resolution mechanisms that involve indigenous peoples. Noting that the number of human rights defenders killed in 2016 doubled compared to 2015, she also called for increasing the protection of human rights defenders.

Daniela Bas, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), stressed the need to address the social and economic exclusion faced by indigenous peoples as part of the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The opening segment was followed by a film screening, ‘The Ainu People of Japan.’ In a panel discussion following the screening, ‘A Decade in Review: Achieving the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,’ Royal Johan Kxao /Ui/o/oo, Deputy Minister of Marginalized Communities of Namibia, stressed the need for targeted interventions from governments to create jobs for indigenous peoples and ensure their access to land and quality education, which is “the great equalizer.” He saluted the contribution of mobile health clinics in providing healthcare for indigenous peoples and welcomed community-based natural resources management initiatives.

Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, Cree, Canada, said true reconciliation between the words and actions necessary for advancing the rights of indigenous peoples is like an eagle with two wings: one wing is UNDRIP; and the other wing is comprised of other legal instruments, such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions 107 and 169, the Organization of American States (OAS) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In order for the eagle to fly, Littlechild emphasized that both wings need to be considered together and, where the same issue is addressed by two different instruments, the highest standard should be chosen.

Albert Barume, Chairperson, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, discussed the difference between providing a right through an international instrument and implementing the provision of the respective right in specific, different national circumstances. He noted that, since UNDRIP’s adoption, some countries have put in place supportive policies, provided quotas for the participation of indigenous peoples in governments, opened spaces for indigenous peoples’ participation in politics and society, and recognized several indigenous languages. Barume welcomed these institutional and structural advancements but stressed that indigenous peoples still face unequal access to rights. He further emphasized the impact of UNDRIP implementation needs to be assessed in terms of tangible improvement of indigenous peoples’ lives.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated annually on 9 August, commemorating the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which took place in Geneva in 1982. The Day was celebrated both at UN Headquarters in New York and through a variety of events and activities in UN offices around the world, including in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. [International Day of the World ‘s Indigenous People] [UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples][SDG Knowledge Hub story about statements marking International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples] [IISD Sources]