Left: Indigenous people participate in Rio+20 for Sustainable Development ©UN Photo/Luiz Roberto Lima. Right: Noeli POCATERRA (Wayu), Member of Parliament, Second Vice-President of Venezuela's National Assembly, member of the Indian National Council, addresses correspondents at UN Headquarters ©UN Photo/Evan Schneider. Indigenous people contribute to a better world!

Indigenous Peoples

Respect
NOT Dehumanization

Background

Common historical continuity

There are over 476 million indigenous people living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the global population. Of those, there are more than 5,000 distinct groups.

Indigenous people speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages. They are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty compared to their non-indigenous counterparts.

Indigenous peoples have in common a historical continuity with a given region prior to colonization and a strong link to their lands. They maintain, at least in part, distinct social, economic and political systems. They have distinct languages, cultures, beliefs and knowledge systems. They are determined to maintain and develop their identity and distinct institutions and they form a non-dominant sector of society.

UN Exhibition: The World In Faces

An exhibition honoring Indigenous Peoples’ right to their cultures, identities and traditions, and their right to self-determination by determining their own policies and strategies with respect to their cultural heritage and traditional systems. As you look at these photos, we hope that you will see not only the individual, but the communities and the Indigenous Peoples they represent.

View exhibit

Mam man, showing off unique embroidery. Hamar woman showing off her jewelry.

Left: Mam man of Guatemala. Right: Hamar woman, South West Ethiopia.
UN Exhibits/© Alexander Khimushin

The right to self-identification

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples does not include a definition of indigenous peoples.

According to the Declaration, self-identification as indigenous is considered a fundamental criterion. The Declaration refers to their right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their customs and traditions.

Indigenous Peoples — the challenges they face

Indigenous peoples face many challenges. These include:

a denial of their right to control their own development based on their own values, needs and priorities
a lack of - or very poor - political representation
a lack of access to social services

Often, indigenous peoples are excluded or poorly represented in decision-making processes on matters that directly affect them and are not consulted about projects affecting their lands or the adoption of administrative or legislative measures that may affect them. Also, they are often displaced from their ancestral lands as a result of ventures such as the exploitation of natural resources.

Spotlight: Hadzabe Tribe

40,000 year-old hunter-gatherer tribe gains legal rights over their ancestral lands in Tanzania, allowing them to protect their forests from farmers and herders seeking to clear the land. Deforestation in the core Hadzabe territory has since declined, compared to a significant increase in the wider region. Populations of endangered African elephants, African wild dogs, lions and leopards have increased, and the Hadzabe have earned over US$450 000 from trading carbon offsets.

This remarkable progress earned the Hadzabe UNDP's Equator Prize, which recognizes indigenous peoples’ efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

UN in Action

UN Action

Highlighting the problem

Many issues raised by indigenous peoples, such as climate change and access to safe drinking water are now more visible at the international level.

The United Nations has highlighted the problem of discrimination against indigenous peoples since the first Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination in 1973-1982.

This concern led to the establishment in 1982 of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which articulated their needs and aspirations in the landmark Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in September 2007 by the UN General Assembly.

Spotlight: Master Class Series

UNESCO - Master Class Series against Racism and Discriminations

A global "training for trainers" initiative seeking to empower students to become youth champions in their own schools and communities and spread awareness on how to deconstruct the mechanisms underlying racism and discriminations.

Using a human rights-based approach, the classes serve as dialogue spaces and peer learning forums among young participants, experts, resource persons, and invited personalities to openly discuss taboos that corrode the social and moral fiber in societies. Topics include the rights of indigenous peoples.

©UNESCO

Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

The Durban Declaration of 2001 acknowledges the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. It emphasizes, among other things:

the right of indigenous peoples to be free and equal
the right to self-determination and to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development
the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs
the right to establish and control their educational systems
the right to participate fully at all levels of decision-making in matters which may affect their rights, lives and destinies
the right to their lands, territories and resources
the right to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development

Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples is racial discrimination

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has made it clear that discrimination against indigenous peoples is racial discrimination. It has interpreted non-discrimination as the protection of aspects of indigenous cultural identity and language and the offer of economic and social development, effective participation, and rights over lands, territories and resources.

E-learning tool

Indigenous Peoples' rights

A free online course by the UN Human Rights Office promoting indigenous peoples' rights.

UN Human Rights YouTube channel

Three mechanisms for combating discrimination against Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations has also established three mechanisms for combating discrimination against indigenous peoples:

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was created to advise the UN on issues related to indigenous peoples and specifically to raise awareness and promote the coordination of activities related to indigenous issues within the UN system.

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people has a mandate to gather, request, receive and exchange information on alleged violations of their human rights.

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides the Human Rights Council with thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Where are we?

Despite the progress that has been made, achieving significant recognition of, and improvements in, the human rights of peoples, who have endured centuries of exploitation and marginalization remains a tremendous challenge for governments and the United Nations system.

COVID-19 and Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

As the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic repercussions are evolving, a particularly severe impact is emerging on the world’s indigenous and tribal peoples. They work in sectors hard-hit by the crisis, predominantly in the informal economy and are disproportionally affected by poverty. Immediate and continuing action is needed for ensuring that socio-economic responses include respect for their rights and ensure their access to decent work and social protection.

International Labour Organization (ILO) YouTube channel

Indigenous Peoples

Background

Common historical continuity

UN Exhibition: The World In Faces

The right to self-identification

Indigenous Peoples — the challenges they face

Spotlight: Hadzabe Tribe

UN Action

Highlighting the problem

Spotlight: Master Class Series

UNESCO - Master Class Series against Racism and Discriminations

Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples is racial discrimination

E-learning tool

Indigenous Peoples' rights

Three mechanisms for combating discrimination against Indigenous Peoples

Where are we?

COVID-19 and Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Links

Human Rights

Indigenous Peoples

Documents and publications

Related observances and conferences

Search the United Nations

Indigenous Peoples

UN Action

Highlighting the problem

Spotlight: Master Class Series

UNESCO - Master Class Series against Racism and Discriminations

Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples is racial discrimination

E-learning tool

Indigenous Peoples' rights

Three mechanisms for combating discrimination against Indigenous Peoples

Where are we?

COVID-19 and Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

Links

Human Rights

Indigenous Peoples

Documents and publications

Related observances and conferences