The Indigenous World 2006: Editorial

Written on 27 April 2006. Posted in The Indigenous World Editorial

Although 2005 saw significant progress made in terms of recognising indigenous peoples’ rights, this first year in the second UN decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (2005-2014) also witnessed an endless number of denials or violations of those same rights. The 2005 United Nations World Summit’s final document represents an extremely important step forward for indigenous peoples as it consolidates the use of the term indigenous peoples, and reaffirms UN member states’ commitment to uphold their human rights. It states a commitment to work at local, national, regional and international levels to advance the human rights of indigenous peoples, and highlights the need to do so in collaboration, or through consultation, with them.

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The Indigenous World 2004: Editorial

Written on 29 April 2004. Posted in The Indigenous World Editorial

The impression one has on reading this year's contributions to The Indigenous World is that, despite notable advances, the situation of indigenous peoples still remains extremely precarious and even, in many cases, alarming. As the article on the Amazigh people of Algeria notes, it is clear that "achievements are still the result of bitter struggles and are never irreversible".

Political developments in 2003 have negatiyely affected many indigenous peoples. The serious crisis in Bolivia, the military repression in Burma, the conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa, to name but a few examples, have cost the lives of many indigenous people, undennined the livelihoods of entire communities and endangered their survival. In other countries, where the political situation has been unstable (Venezuela) or where elections are imminent (the Philippines), indigenous organisations live in constant fear of finding recently acquired rights abolished overnight. On a more positive note, the peace process in Angola made it possible for a team of consultants to visit San communities for the first time in more than 20 years in order to assess their situation with a view to providing future development support.

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The Indigenous World 2001-2002 : Editorial

Written on 02 May 2002. Posted in The Indigenous World Editorial

The year 2001 will go down in history as the year in which the technologically and economically developed Western world cameface to face with its vulnerability and, overnight, became engulfed in fear, suspicion and hatred, in which armed revenge has so far been the only response envisaged. The terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on September 11, 2001, and the deaths of some 3,000 innocent civilian men and women, radically changed the world overnight and, as the US administration and its allies get ever more deeply involved in their “war against terrorism”, there is indeed cause for deep concern for the indigenous movement worldwide also.

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The Indigenous World 2005: Editorial

Written on 28 April 2005. Posted in The Indigenous World Editorial

The year 2004 marked the end of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People and, for many, this was an opportunity to look back and assess the progress made since 1995.

At international and regional level, some important achievements have been made. There has been the creation of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2000), the designation of a UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous People (2001), the recognition by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights of the problems faced by indigenous peoples/communities in Africa (2003) and the increased activity of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights around issues affecting indigenous peoples in Central and South America.

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The Indigenous World 2002-2003 : Editorial

Written on 02 May 2003. Posted in The Indigenous World Editorial

The struggle for land and resource rights remained the major concern of indigenous peoples throughout 2002-2003.

A number of legal victories were recorded such as the adoption by the Nicaraguan parliament of Law No.445 on indigenous communal lands, and two landmark rulings on indigenous land rights - one by the SupremeCourt of India regarding the removal of settlers from tribal reserveson the Adaman Islands, the other by the High Court in Peninsular Malaysia in favour of the Orang Asli’s customary and property rights.

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