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The date marks the day
of the first meeting, in 1982, of the
UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations
of the Subcommission on the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights.
CLICK the Image for Facts sheet on Indegenous People
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In 1994, the General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World's
Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year during the
International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (Resolution 49/214 of 23 December).
The UN General Assembly had proclaimed 1993 the I
nternational Year of the World's Indigenous People, and the same year,
the Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People,
starting on 10 December 1994 (Resolution 48/163). The goal of the First Decade was to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health.
In 2004, the UN General Assembly
proclaimed a Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous
Peoples through Resolution 59/174. The goal of the Second Decade is
to further the "strengthening of international cooperation for the
solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as
culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and
economic development, by means of action-oriented programs and specific projects,
ncrease technical assistance, and relevant standard-setting activities".
There are about 300 million indigenous men,
women and children worldwide1. They are extremely diverse - more than 5,000 different
groups of indigenous peoples live in more than 70 countries.
They make up one third of the world's 900 million extremely poor rural people.
In many countries indigenous peoples are among the poorest members of
society and the poverty gap between them and non indigenous groups is increasing.
A World Bank study on selected countries in Latin America released in May 2005
observed that the indigenous poverty gap extends deeper into society and
shrank more slowly over the 1990s than in previous periods. A World Bank-UNDP
Report of 2000 on China’s Rural Poverty found that ethnic minority groups make up
less than 9 per cent of the total population but are believed to account for about
40 per cent of China’s extremely poor people. A similar study conducted by the World
Bank in Vietnam in 2004 predicted that poverty in Vietnam will become increasingly
associated with ethnic minority groups in coming years. A recent IFAD study of the
Human Development Index (HDI) for the tribal belt of Orissa State in India found that
the HDI for this region was as low as that of some of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
Indigenous and tribal peoples’ value systems,
spirituality, capabilities and cultures have huge untapped potential for sustainable
development. They play a crucial role in the stewardship of natural resources and
biodiversity and provide environmental services at local, regional and international
levels. Indigenous peoples have rich, varied and locally rooted knowledge systems.
Their immense cultural diversity is extremely valuable in a world threatened by the
homogenizing trends of globalization.
Unfortunately, the marginalized conditions of
the indigenous peoples do not figure prominently in debates regarding the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs).
Indeed, much of the attention indigenous peoples receive internationally is the
direct result of their own efforts. An ethnic audit of the PRSPs undertaken in 2004
by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 14 countries indicated a high incidence
of poverty among indigenous peoples, but little or no actions planned to overcome it. The
ILO study also concluded that, with very few exceptions, most national progress reports have
not included indigenous peoples in the consultation process. There is also concern that in
some countries, unless the particular situation of indigenous peoples is adequately taken
into account, they will not benefit from progress towards achieving the MDGs.
In spite of the relative invisibility of indigenous
peoples in the poverty reduction process, indigenous peoples are organizing themselves
to bring about an end to all forms of discrimination and oppression that they experience.
They are doing this in a positive way by raising issues central to their ability to thrive
while retaining a separate identity. These include: their inherent human right to be different;
their contribution to the diversity and richness of civilization and cultures; the material
and spiritual value of their lands, territories and related resources; their self determining
priorities and their desire for a harmonious and cooperative relationship with the State based
on the universal principles of free, prior and informed consent.
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