Friday, 14 September 2007 UN General Assembly adopts landmark declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples

After more than two decades of negotiations, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples yesterday, an historic achievement for the more than 370 million indigenous people worldwide. The draft declaration had been referred to the Assembly by the UN Human Rights Council which, in a breakthrough last year, adopted the text. In the General Assembly 143 states voted in favour of the declaration, eleven abstained, and four countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) - all of which have substantial indigenous populations - voted against. The declaration is not legally binding, but Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, a member of the Kankanaey-Igorot people of the Cordillera region in the Philippines and chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, hailed the declaration as a “key instrument and tool for raising awareness on indigenous peoples’ situations and indigenous peoples’ rights”. The declaration emphasises the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions. It also affirms their collective right to remain distinct, and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development.

An indigenous person performs at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues ©UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz

The provisions relating to land, territory and resources are points of contention. John McNee, Canada's Ambassador to the UN, labelled them “overly broad, unclear and capable of a wide variety of interpretations”, saying they could call into question matters that have already been settled by treaty.

But General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa warned that the declaration, though it represents a major step forwards, is not enough: “even with this progress, indigenous peoples still face marginalisation, extreme poverty and other human rights violations. They are often dragged into conflicts and land disputes that threaten their way of life and very survival; and, suffer from a lack of access to health care and education.”

Click here to read the story on UN News.

Click here to read the set of 'FAQs' prepared by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.