International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
This August 9, International Day of Indigenous Peoples, 2021 theme is “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.” A social contract is an unwritten agreement that societies make to cooperate for social and economic benefits. The new social contract must be based on genuine participation and partnership that fosters equal opportunities and respects the rights, dignity and freedoms of all. Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making is a key component in achieving reconciliation between indigenous peoples and States.
We must demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation and approval in the constitution of a system with social and economic benefits for all.
There are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own worldviews and priorities.
Although numerous indigenous peoples worldwide are self-governing and some have been successful in establishing autonomy in varying forms, many indigenous peoples still come under the ultimate authority of central governments who exercise control over their lands, territories and resources. Despite that reality, indigenous peoples have demonstrated extraordinary examples of good governance, ranging from the Haudenosaunee to the existing Sámi parliaments in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
Source: UN Website
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