Amnesty International is urging all UN member states to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.

Indigenous Peoples’ are among the most marginalized and the most vulnerable; and grave human rights violations against them have continued unabated in every region of the world. The Declaration establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, well-being and rights of the world's Indigenous Peoples’. It addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; rights to education, health, employment, language, as well as secure access to lands and resources essential for their survival and welfare. It outlaws discrimination against Indigenous Peoples’, protects against genocide, and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them. It also ensures their right to self-determination in their economic, social and cultural development.

Background

It is estimated that 370 million people worldwide are identified as "indigenous peoples". The text of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is considered a triumph for justice and human dignity following more than two decades of negotiations by a working group of the former UN Commission on Human Rights including governments and indigenous peoples' representatives. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007 by a majority of 143 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine).