50 years since the Barbados Declaration This year, 2021, marks the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting held on the Caribbean island of Barbados, where a group of 15 anthropologists (14 men and 1 woman) from Amazonian, Central American and European countries met to reflect on the situation of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. The symposium, organized by the University of Berne’s Institute...

This report presents the real-life experiences of Indigenous Peoples as they implement pilot projects that address educational needs identified by themselves through the Indigenous Navigator’s small grants facility. It shows how the Indigenous Navigator framework was used to create a data collection tool to monitor progress towards the fulfilment of Indigenous human rights and the global goals ...

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, IWGIA and Indigenous Peoples Rights International are happy to announce the publication of “The UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples: Progress Achieved, the Implementation Gap and Challenges for the Next Decade”  

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has impacted on all corners of the world and on all spheres of our lives and livelihoods. Indigenous Peoples have been disproportionately affected by the epidemic. This Annual Report will therefore give a broad overview of how the pandemic has affected the world’s Indigenous Peoples. IWGIA’s yearbook, The Indigenous World 2021, provides further extensive documenta...

The result of a collective and community-led data-gathering exercise in 11 countries relying on the Indigenous Navigator framework and tools, this report explores indigenous peoples’ experiences in a world of work undergoing transformation.

This compilation is the unique result of a collaborative effort between Indigenous and non-indigenous activists and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We thank them and celebrate the bonds and sense of community that result from the close cooperation needed to make this one-of-a kind documentation tool available.   For 35 conse...

Indigenous Peoples are at the heart of the struggle for equality, rights, participation and self-determination for a more sustainable and just world. At IWGIA we are proud to stand by and behind Indigenous Peoples. We thank all those who support us to do so. This annual report presents some of the many significant achievements IWGIA supported in 2019 for Indigenous Peoples' rights. 

The compilation is the unique result of a collaborative effort between Indigenous and non-indigenous activists and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We thank them and celebrate the bonds and sense of community that result from the close cooperation needed to make this one-of-a kind documentation tool available.   For 34 consec...

This case study unravels the example of how a customary institution is embedded in the social and physical uniqueness of a community of indigenous peoples. It demonstrates the value of recognizing and safeguarding the customary institutions and knowledge of indigenous peoples. This case study presents the facts—how the knowledge system and customary institutions of indigenous peoples are value-d...

pubThe world today faces many challenges: a global climate and biodiversity crisis, rising inequality, shrinking civic space in many countries, and increasing distrust in international institutions and national political systems. Indigenous peoples make up five percent of the world’s population and are disproportionately affected by much of this; but they are also key to many of the world’s so...

Organisée en parallèle à la quarante-deuxième session du Conseil des gouverneurs du FIDA Thème: Promouvoir les savoirs et innovations des peuples autochtones en faveur de la résilience aux changements climatiques et du développement durable

Climate change is the great global challenge of the 21st century. Because of climate change, undesirable disasters became intense and has caused loss of many lives and billions of dollars’ worth of properties. To respond to climate change, the United Nations founded the body called United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with the global...

In Myanmar, women manage forests and depend on them for their livelihoods, but their tenure over these forests is insecure. Women often have distinct roles in managing forests as compared to men, and therefore also have expert knowledge about forests and different priorities for how forests are managed. Despite their distinct knowledge and priorities, women in Myanmar are under-represented in deci...

Rising tensions between states and indigenous peoples are reaching a tipping point, and with an ever-shrinking civic space worldwide, the topics of criminalisation of Indigenous Rights Defenders’ activities and their organisations; land rights issues; and access to justice are more important than ever. The Indigenous World 2019 adds to the documented records, highlighting the increase in a...

Myanmar has adopted a National Land Use Policy in 2016 which mandates the enactment of a comprehensive National Land Law. Once a National Land Law is passed, all other laws will have to be harmonized with its provisions. This new law will be critical for the future of Myanmar’s indigenous peoples, most of whom depend on land and natural resources for their livelihood. Control over land and reso...

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...

Myanmar is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, with the threat of flooding, drought, cyclones, and changing rainfall patters threatening lives and livelihoods.1 Myanmar’s National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2017) outlines the major risks that Myanmar will face. Heavier rainfall and shorter monsoons increase the risk of landslides in the uplands and ...

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 ...

En 2003, la Commission africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples (CADHP) a constitué un Groupe de travail sur les Populations/Communautés en Afrique (le Groupe de travail), chargé de conseiller la Commission sur les questions relatives aux droits des populations/communautés autochtones sur le continent. En cette qualité, le Groupe de travail a estimé opportun de commander une étude s...

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...

THÈME: AUTONOMISATION ÉCONOMIQUE DES PEUPLES AUTOCHTONES, NOTAMMENT DES FEMMES ET DES JEUNES

The study was conducted by POINT (Promotion of Indigenous and Nature Together) in Sar Pauk village, and especially emphasized on the customary land tenure of the village. The objective of the study is to identify and document customary land tenure of the village, including livelihoods, land use, management of land and forest. In order to conduct this study, the researcher went to the village thre...

This yearbook gives a comprehensive update on the current situation of indigenous peoples and their human rights situation across the world, and offers an overview of the most significant developments in international and regional processes relating to indigenous peoples during 2016. The Indigenous World contains 71 articles and country reports all written by indigenous and non-indigenous ac...

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 About the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFADIndigenous peoples around the world have repeatedly asked for a more systematic dialogue with United Nations agencies. In response, IFAD has taken a series of initiatives and developed key instruments to actively engage with them. These include the IFAD Policy on Engageme...

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...