Indigenous peoples’ rights to autonomy and self-government: the case of Rapa Nui, Chile
An International Seminar to assess the global status and trends with regards to indigenous autonomies is taking place in Mexico City in March 2019.
News
Millions of forest-dwelling indigenous peoples are facing eviction in India
A verdict from India’s Supreme Court has ordered 20 state governments to evict 1,5 million families living on forest land before the 24th of July. These families live in and around 500 wildlife sanctuaries and 90 national parks; but many live there sustainably and have protected the forests long before these areas were declared parks and sanctuaries.
Indigenous rights defenders at risk
Recent reports by UN experts and human rights organisations document an alarming increase in violent attacks against and criminalisation of indigenous peoples defending their rights to their traditional lands and natural resources.
Do indigenous peoples hold the key to saving Myanmar’s remaining forest?
Myanmar has some of the largest remaining forest areas in Asia, but also some of the highest deforestation rates in the world. Increased focus on the role of indigenous peoples’ rights and use of their knowledge through initiatives like REDD+ is essential for saving the forests and reducing CO2 emissions in the Southeast Asian country.
International Year of Indigenous Languages
At least 43 percent of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today are endangered. Many of these belong to indigenous peoples and if something doesn't change soon, UNESCO predicts that we will lose as many as 3,000 indigenous languages by the end of this century. In an effort to raise public awareness of this threat to the world's cultural and linguistic diversity, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed 2019 to be the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Read this page to get more information about the status of indigenous languages and why it is important to preserve them.
