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  • Indigenous peoples in Argentina

    Indigenous peoples in Argentina

    The most recent national census in 2010 gave a total of 955,032 people self-identifying as descended from or belonging to an indigenous peoples' group.

Argentina

Indigenous Peoples in Argentina

Argentina is a federal country with 23 provinces and with a national population of approximately 40 million. The most recent national census (2010) gave a total of 955,032 people who self-identify as descended from or belonging to an Indigenous People. There are 35 different officially recognised Indigenous Peoples in the country. They legally hold specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in various provincial states.

Argentina has voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ratified ILO Convention 169. The country has also ratified other universal human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

Main challenges for Argentina’s Indigenous Peoples

The tensions and conflicts over Indigenous Peoples’ land claims worsened in 2017. The State of Argentina failed to guarantee and enforce Indigenous rights over land, and moreover, criminalised the members of Indigenous communities who called out for this failure. In the context of this scenario and the confrontation between the two parts, there have been numerous acts of violence, and even deaths of indigenous activists, as it is the case of Santiago Maldonado.

The tension over land sees one of its roots in the economic interest in extractive activities on the territories claimed by Indigenous Peoples, as guaranteed rights of Indigenous Peoples, is incompatible with the neo-developmentalist economic model that is based precisely on these extractive activities.

Potential progress for Argentina’s Indigenous Peoples

With the aim of reducing levels of violenece, spaces for intercultural dialogue were created during 2017. The peace and intercultural dialogue committee that was created nationally brought together representatives of different political spaces, civil society organisations, intellectuals, with the aim of finding a political response to the tensions that would enable Argentina to set aside the use of force when resolving territorial conflicts, and instead find peaceful and agreed solutions.

Some of the documents that have emerged from this space reflect on the portrayal of indigenous Mapuche as violent terrorists.

The Indigenous World 2024: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

Argentina is a federal country made up of 23 provinces and an autonomous city (Buenos Aires, the capital), with a total population of 45,892,285 million people, according to the 2022 census data. This last census does not provide specific information on the number of people in the country who are Indigenous or who perceive themselves as Indigenous. There are 35 officially-recognized Indigenous Peoples, although the process of identity recovery is a dynamic one and this number can vary, up to around 40 peoples, according to their organizations.

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The Indigenous World 2022: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

The most recent national census from 2010 gives a total of 955,032 people self-identifying as descendants of or belonging to Indigenous Peoples, out of a total of 45 million inhabitants. There are 35 officially recognised Indigenous Peoples, although given the dynamic of processes for recovering their identity, this number may change. Legally, they have specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in several provincial states. In addition, a set of human rights contemplated in various international instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights are of constitutional force in the country. ILO Convention 169 is of supra-legal hierarchy (i.e. it does not form part of the body of constitutional rules and regulations) and was ratified in 2000. The United Nations and American Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are also of regulatory effect.

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Indigenous World 2020: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

Argentina comprises 23 provinces with a total population of approximately 40 million. The most recent national census (2010) gave a total of 955,032 people who self-identify as descended from or belonging to an Indigenous people. There are 35 different officially recognised Indigenous Peoples in the country. They legally hold specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in various provincial states.

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The Indigenous World 2023: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

Argentina is a federal country made up of 23 provinces plus an autonomous city (Buenos Aires, the capital), with a total population of close to 47 million people, according to initial data from 2022. The 2010 national census gives a total of 955,032 people self-identifying as descending from or belonging to Indigenous Peoples, and there is still no final data from the last census conducted in 2022.

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The Indigenous World 2021: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

Argentina comprises 23 provinces with a total population of approximately 40 million. The most recent national census (2010) gave a total of 955,032 people who self-identify as descended from or belonging to an Indigenous people. There are 35 different officially recognised Indigenous Peoples in the country. They legally hold specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in various provincial states.

In addition, ILO Convention 169 and other universal human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) are of constitutional force in the country. Argentina voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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Indigenous World 2019: Argentina

Written on . Posted in Argentina

Argentina is a country made up of 23 provinces, with a total population of approximately 40 million people. The most recent national census in 2010 gave a total of 955,032 people self-identifying as descended from or belonging to an indigenous people.1 There are 35 different officially-recognised indigenous peoples in the country. They legally hold specific constitutional rights at the federal level and in various provincial states.

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IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.

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Indigenous World

IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read The Indigenous World.

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