Protecting Native Peoples Who Choose to Live Apart: Why It Matters
Celebrating World Indigenous Peoples Day 2024
On August 9, 2024, we commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This annual observance, established by the United Nations General Assembly, aims to raise awareness about the needs and rights of indigenous communities worldwide. This year’s theme focuses on “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.”
According to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Peoples have “historical continuity or association with a given region or part of a given region prior to colonization or annexation; identify themselves as Indigenous and be accepted as members by their community; have strong links to territories, surrounding natural resources and ecosystems; maintain at least in part, distinct social, economic and political systems; maintain, at least in part, distinct languages, cultures, beliefs and knowledge systems; are resolved to maintain and further develop their identity and distinct social, economic, cultural and political institutions as distinct peoples and communities; and often form non‐dominant sectors of society.”
The Struggles of Native Peoples
Native peoples have faced unfair treatment for hundreds of years. Many lack good schools, healthcare, and internet access. They make up less than 5% of the world’s population but 15% of the poorest people. Despite being small in number, they speak 70% of the world’s languages and have 5,000 different cultures. Many are working hard to protect their rights, lands, and natural resources.
In the United States, Native American communities often face health problems and poverty. For example, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, unemployment is around 80%, and life expectancy is much lower than the US average.
In South America’s Amazon rainforest, the Waorani people are fighting to protect their home from oil companies and loggers who want to cut down trees. In the Indian Ocean, the Sentinelese people live on their own island. They’ve made it clear they don’t want contact with the outside world.
Why Native Peoples Matter
Native peoples are like guardians of the Earth’s plants, animals, and cultures. Their unique ways of life help them live in balance with nature. For instance, the Amazon rainforest, home to many Native groups, has some of the richest wildlife on Earth.
“Standing Up for Indigenous Rights: Practical Steps Forward”
“Experts weigh in on how to support native communities worldwide”
- It’s All About the Land
First things first – land rights are the name of the game. Without secure access to their ancestral lands, indigenous communities can’t maintain their way of life or control basics like education and healthcare. It’s the foundation everything else is built on.
- Follow Through on Laws
Many countries have decent laws protecting indigenous rights on paper, but they often don’t mean squat in real life. Take Brazil, for example. Their constitution says all indigenous lands should have been protected by 1993, but some groups are still waiting decades later.
- Spread the Word
We all need to step up our game when it comes to educating ourselves and others about indigenous issues. It’s easy to feel disconnected, but our everyday choices as consumers can have a huge impact on native communities halfway across the world.
- Nature’s OG Guardians
Let’s give credit where credit’s due – indigenous peoples have been conserving the environment for centuries. Their deep connection to the land means they’re often the best stewards of natural resources. Instead of kicking them out in the name of conservation, we should be working with them!
- Mind the Gap
There’s often a Grand Canyon-sized gap between official policies and what actually happens on the ground. Even when courts rule in favor of indigenous rights, it can take forever for those decisions to be put into practice. We need to hold governments and companies accountable for following through.
- It’s Not Just About Land
While land rights are crucial, let’s not forget about other important stuff like education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Indigenous communities have a right to be included in development plans that affect their future.
- Let Them Speak for Themselves
Here’s a radical thought – instead of having outsiders (even well-meaning ones) speak on behalf of indigenous peoples, how about we amplify their own voices? Different communities have different priorities, and we need to listen to what they actually want and need.
- Celebrate the Wins
It’s easy to get bogged down in all the challenges, but there are success stories out there too! Take the Achuar people in Peru, who’ve come together to protect their territory and create their own self-government system. Now that’s inspiring!
Remember, supporting indigenous rights isn’t just about helping “them” – it’s about creating a more just and sustainable world for all of us. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!
What’s Being Done to Help
The United Nations (UN) knows that Native peoples need special protection for their rights and cultures. That’s why they created World Indigenous Peoples Day. The UN offers online courses about Native peoples’ rights and is running a ten-year program to help save Native languages.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples be obtained in matters of fundamental importance for their rights, survival, dignity, and well-being. Moreover, consultations to obtain this consent must respect local governance and decision-making processes and structures; must occur in indigenous languages and on Indigenous Peoples’ time frames; and be free of coercion or threat.
The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People are important policy instruments for Indigenous Peoples to voice their concerns and advocate for policy change within the UN.
At national and local levels, however, Indigenous Peoples continue to be marginalized. In response, UNEP has established a policy to promote the protection of environmental defenders through which it will denounce attacks, torture, intimidation and murder of environmental defenders; advocate for better protection of environmental rights and the people standing up for them; support responsible management of natural resources; and request accountability for events in which environmental defenders have been affected.
With the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, UNEP also engages with religious leaders and communities to work with Indigenous Peoples. A focus of our work is the mutual recognition of the sanctity of life and nature, and the equality among the beliefs of the world’s religions and the traditional spiritualities of Indigenous Peoples. In doing so, we hope to contribute to the safeguarding traditional knowledge, while healing our planet by facilitating the reconciliation of historical conflicts between religions and Indigenous Peoples.
What This Means for All of Us Protecting Native peoples’ rights is crucial for their survival and for keeping the world’s cultures and languages alive. As we celebrate World Indigenous Peoples Day, we should remember how important it is to respect their choices, lands, and ways of life. By working together, we can help ensure Native peoples are treated fairly and with respect, now and in the future.
–Tishya Sharma, Lawyer, Content Developer and Grant Consultant with She Sight Global
