The United Nations (UN) International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (IDWIP) is annually observed across the globe on 9 August to promote and protect the rights, cultures, and identities of the world’s Indigenous population.
- Aim: To raise awareness of the needs of these population groups and the unique challenges faced by the world’s indigenous peoples.
- This Day is also known as World Tribal Day, or World Indigenous Peoples Day.
Theme:
i.The 2024 theme of IDWIP is, “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.”
ii.This year theme highlights the importance of protecting Indigenous groups’ rights, crucial for preserving cultural and linguistic diversity.
Significance:
i.Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact are the best protectors of the forest.
ii.The 2024 observance aims to raise awareness of the right to self-determination, and the other principles enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Background:
i.In December 1994, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/49/214 titled International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004), proclaiming the 9 August of every year during the decade as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
- On 22 December 2004, the UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/59/174 for a 2nd International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2005- 2015), which commenced on 1 January 2005 and concluded in December 2014.
ii.The 1st ever International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was observed on 9 August 1995.
Why 9 August?
The date 9 August marks the day of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, held in Geneva, Switzerland in 1982.
UN System-Wide Action Plan:
i.Following the 1st World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) in 2014, a comprehensive action plan on the rights of the Indigenous peoples was developed by the Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG) on Indigenous Issues in 2015.
ii.This plan, created in consultation with indigenous communities and various stakeholders, aims to uphold the UNDRIP.
Special events related to Indigenous peoples:
i.In 1990, the UNGA proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples by the resolutions (A/RES/45/164 A/RES/47/75).
ii.In 1999, the UN declared 2019 the Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) to raise awareness about their languages and contributions to the world’s rich cultural diversity.
iii.In 2019, the UNGA adopted the resolution (A/RES/74/135) proclaiming the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032).
2024 Event:
On 9 August 2024, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the think tank of the UN organised a virtual commemorative event on the theme: “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact,” to mark the IDWIP 2024.
15th Equator Prize:
i.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced the winners of the 15th Equator Prize, recognising 11 Indigenous Peoples and local communities from 8 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
ii.Under the theme of ‘Nature for Climate Action,’ the 2024 winners represent the transformative potential of Indigenous and locally-led nature-based solutions in combating the climate crisis.
iii.The 2024 awardees join a network of 285 innovative locally-led initiatives from 94 countries that have been recognised as Equator Prize winners since 2002.
iv.Each prize-winning organisation will receive USD 15,000 and an opportunity to participate in a series of special virtual events associated with the UNGA, Summit of the Future, the UNDP Nature for Life Hub, etc.
Winners of the 15th Equator Prize:
- Reserva Natural La Planada – Resguardo Indígena Awá Pialapí Pueblo Viejo, Colombia;
- Federación Mesa Nacional del Café – FEMNCAFÉ, Colombia;
- Asociación de Productores del Pueblo Arhuaco de La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – ASOARHUACO, Colombia;
- União dos Povos Indígenas do Vale do Javari – UNIVAJA, Brazil;
- Réserve Naturelle Communautaire de Dindéfélo, Senegal;
- Coletivo Ambientalista Indígena de Ação para Natureza, Agroecologia e Sustentabilidade – CAIANAS, Brazil;
- Miras Parishan Kazeroon, Iran;
- Sundarbans Eco Village, Bangladesh;
- CredorSave Loans, Zambia;
- Moroccan Biodiversity and Livelihoods Association (MBLA), Morocco;
- Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners (ILEPA), Kenya.
Note: The 2 awardees from Brazil will receive additional direct financial support from the Instituto Alok for USD 5,000 to scale up further their initiatives.
About Equator Prize:
i.The Equator Prize organised by the Equator Initiative within the UNDP, is awarded biennially to recognize outstanding community efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
ii.To be eligible for the Equator Prize, the following requirements apply:
- The initiative must have been in existence for at least three years.
- The actions taken must be nature-based and must deliver benefits related to two or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The nominee must be either a local community-based group, operating in a rural area, based in a country receiving support from the UNDP; or an Indigenous Peoples’ community in any country, operating in a rural area.
Key Facts:
i.Indigenous Peoples, numbering around 476 million, inhabit 90 countries. They live in all regions of the world and own, occupy, or use some 22% of the global land area.
ii.At least 370-500 million, Indigenous Peoples represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity.
- Their territories encompass 28% of the globe’s surface containing 11% of the world’s forests.
- Their food systems have high levels of self-sufficiency, ranging from 50% to 80% in food and resource generation.
iii.They represent less than 6% of the global population but account for 15% of the world’s poorest.
iv.Around 200 Indigenous groups live in voluntary isolation across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Peru, and Venezuela.
v.They speak the majority of the world’s 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 distinct cultures.
- At least 40% of the 7,000 Indigenous languages used worldwide are at some level of endangerment.
About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, the United States of America (USA)
Established – 1965
