An International Seminar to assess the global status and trends with regards to indigenous autonomies is taking place in Mexico City in March 2019. This meeting follows the work developed by indigenous organizations and the organizing institutions over the last few years. In January 2018, at its annual Expert Meeting, the UN Permanent Forum was requested to compile information on indigenous autono...

This synthesis report of marginalized and vulnerable indigenous peoples in Thailand represents the cases of ten indigenous groups who are targets of the Community Knowledge-Based Database System (CKBDS) project for empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable indigenous groups in Thailand, namely Mlabri, Kow (Umpi), Bisu, Chong, Yakoor, Saek, Moken, Moklen, Urak-Lawoy and Mani. These groups are...

Human rights defenders are dying, attacked and criminalized all over the world. This is happening at an increasingly alarming rate. In 2017, over 400 people were killed while protecting their community’s land or natural resources. Approximately half of these were indigenous peoples. The conference aimed to understand why in particular and increasingly indigenous peoples from developing countries...

In light of the urgency of both forest conservation and the recognition of indigenous communities’ rights to land and resources, along with the documented potential for creating conservation synergies through recognition of community rights, this study tries to look at the approaches to forest conservation taken in Myanmar so far, and to take stock of their achievements and impact with respect t...

The rising tensions between states and indigenous peoples are reaching a tipping point and The Indigenous World 2018 adds to the documented records, highlighting the increase in attacks and killings of indigenous peoples while defending their lands. The Indigenous World is a one-of-a-kind documentation tool, that offers a comprehensive yearly overview of the developments indigenous peopl...

Customary land tenure of the indigenous peoples in Myanmar is not recognized in policies and laws. Lack of legal protection leaves indigenous territories insecure, threatened by investments and other forms of land concession. On the other hand, there is little evidence showing how the community is managing and using the land. Therefore the study to document the customary land tenure system of indi...

Naga society is a casteless and classless society where, traditionally, women have enjoyed a high social positioning and a fair spirit of independence, playing very central roles in family and community affairs; however, it is also a patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal society where, for instance, family names are carried forward through sons, who are also the family members that inherit fami...

In 2003, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) established the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa (WGIP) with the responsibility to advise the Commission on matters relating to the rights of indigenous populations/communities on the continent. In this capacity, the WGIP found it appropriate to commission a study on extractive industries, land righ...

BULLETIN ÉLECTRONIQUE PAR LE GROUPE DE TRAVAIL SUR LES POPULATIONS ET COMMUNAUTÉS AUTOCHTONES NOVEMBRE 2017 / NUMÉRO 1 La voix des autochtones est un bulletin électronique annuel publié par le Groupe de travail sur les populations et communautés autochtones (le GTPA ou le Groupe de travail) de la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples (la Commission). Le bulletin a pou...

UPDATES FROM THE WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS IN AFRICA NOVEMBER 2017 / ISSUE 1 The Voice of the Indigenous is an annual e-newsletter of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities (WGIP) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) that aims to create awareness about the situation and rights of indigenous populations/communities in Africa as w...

Four reports illustrate how the method “participatory action research” can benefit Indigenous Peoples by acknowledging traditional knowledge and documenting land use and ownership for future generations.

Four reports illustrate how the method “participatory action research” can benefit Indigenous Peoples by acknowledging traditional knowledge and documenting land use and ownership for future generations.

Four reports illustrate how the method “participatory action research” can benefit Indigenous Peoples by acknowledging traditional knowledge and documenting land use and ownership for future generations.

Four reports illustrate how the method “participatory action research” can benefit Indigenous Peoples by acknowledging traditional knowledge and documenting land use and ownership for future generations.

In the global quest for land and natural resources, indigenous peoples are particularly negatively impacted. While most local communities, peasants, farmers and other local land users are affected by this global land rush, embedded discrimination, a lack of recognition of land tenure and vulnerability mean that this recent land rush is affecting indigenous peoples particularly badly. The following...

The negotiations of the Paris Rule Book are critical to ensuring that the promises made in the Paris Agreement will be met – including the commitment of governments to respect, protect, and take into consideration existing human rights obligations.

Standing tall, head held high, her dignity on full display. That’s the image of an empowered indigenous woman confronting discrimination and violence, saying “enough is enough” to the tragic impact of extractive industries and other development projects in her ancestral territories. The play of shapes that combines an indigenous woman’s silhouette with mountains, lakes, trees, and moon/sun...

Recent texts on the rights of indigenous peoples clearly show that indigenous ownership of marine and coastal spaces must be respected. In addition, their rights to their sea spaces must be guaranteed according to local perceptions, and this is masterly described by some articles in this book. This is expressed in the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP...

THEME: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WITH A FOCUS ON WOMEN AND YOUTH

IWGIA is deeply concerned about the human rights violations that are currently happening in Jharkhand, India

Indigenous women and girls are the most vulnerable group in Bangladesh. They face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination due to their gender, ethnicity, language, religion, class and geographic location.

The Samburu are a Nilotic community who reside in Northern Kenya. One cultural practice among the Samburu community is Girl-Child Beading. This practice sanctions a non-marital sexual relationship between Samburu men in the ‘warrior’ age group and young Samburu girls (usually between the ages of 9-15 years) who are not yet eligible for marriage. The practice has been in the community for centu...

This briefing note call attention to the ongoing situation of harassments and arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders in Loliondo in northern Tanzania.It offers an account of the recent events taking place in the area and background information. IWGIA believes that these developments are a cause of great concern. The detentions, harassment and trumped up charges undermine civil society and oth...

This urgent alert is based on the forceful evictions of Maasai pastoralists from their homes and grazing lands in Loliondo Division, Ngorongoro District in Northern Tanzania and the gross human rights violations that are being committed. The eviction operation started on the 4th July 2009 and was conducted by the notorious riot police, the Field Force Unit, with assistance of private guards from t...

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) addresses in this report State obligations with regard to extraction, exploitation, and development activities concerning natural resources. Through the implementation of its monitoring mechanisms, the Commission has consistently received information evidencing the human, social, health, cultural and environmental impacts of these projects on i...

This yearbook gives a global update on the current situation of indigenous peoples and their human rights and provides an overview of the main developments that have affected indigenous women and men in the course of 2015. In 54 country specific reports and 12 articles on international processes, indigenous and non-indigenous activists, experts and scholars provide their insight and knowledge on r...

Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), together with the IWGIA, AIPP, TEBTEBBA and FPP, has been conducting programs on Climate Change- REDD Partnership Program. As part of this program, a research study has already been carried out with detailed reviews and analysis of the government laws, policies, programs and indigenous peoples’ rights on land and forest. Following the resear...

This desk study documents the adverse impacts on indigenous communities from coal mining in the regions of la Guajira and Cesar, home to 90 percent of Colombia's coal production as well as several indigenous peoples such as the Wayuu, Yukpa and Kogui. SUMMARY Colombia is home to more than 90 indigenous peoples, comprising some 1,374,000 inhabitants or 3.2% of the national population. Recognised in...

This book is dedicated to all the indigenous tribal women and men of India who have sacrificed their lives to protect 'Mother Earth', indigenous identity and culture; to martyrs of the freedom movement; to the thousands of innocent women, men and children who are victims of violence in the conflict areas of the Northeastern and Central East Indian states; and to those who continue to work to safeg...