Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, a Cree Chief from Canada, addresses an event marking International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on Aug. 9, 2017. The UN on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by stressing the need to eliminate discrimination, marginalization and encroachment on their basic rights. (Xinhua/Ma Jianguo)
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by stressing the need to eliminate discrimination, marginalization and encroachment on their basic rights.
Forty UN system entities and other international organizations issued a joint UN statement on the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, marked annually on Aug. 9.
"While indigenous peoples have made significant advancements in advocating for their rights in international and regional fora, implementation of the declaration is impeded by persisting vulnerability and exclusion, particularly among indigenous women, children, youth and persons with disabilities," said the statement.
The declaration, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Sept. 13, 2007, establishes a universal framework of minimum survival standards for the dignity and well-being of the world's indigenous peoples.
"The declaration, which took more than 20 years to negotiate, stands today as a beacon of progress, a framework for reconciliation and a benchmark of rights," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in a joint statement on the day.
"But a decade on, we need to acknowledge the vast challenges that remain. In too many cases, indigenous peoples are now facing even greater struggles and rights violations than they did 10 years ago," they said.
Although some countries have taken constitutional and legislative measures to recognize indigenous peoples' rights and identities, exclusion, marginalization and violence continue to be widespread, they said.
Irina Bokova, director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said that as custodians and practitioners of unique cultures and relationships with the natural environment, indigenous peoples embody a wide range of linguistic and cultural diversity at the heart of our shared humanity.
"Protecting their rights and dignity is protecting everyone's rights and respecting humanity's soul, past and future," she said.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) underscored that the situation of indigenous peoples is far from acceptable.
"Indigenous peoples constitute a disproportionate 15 percent of the world's poor whereas they are an estimated 5 percent of the world's population. Indigenous women are commonly the poorest of the poor, discriminated against because they are indigenous and because they are women," the ILO said in a statement.
Their marginalization and social exclusion must be addressed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, said the organization.
While recognizing progress in many countries, UN Deputy Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin, who is responsible for economic and social affairs, stressed the need to do more.
"We must recognize that despite these achievements and gains, tremendous gaps remain," he told a gathering at the UN headquarters on Wednesday.
"Indigenous peoples face high levels of poverty, poor health and lower education levels. The situation of indigenous women is grave. Virtually all indicators of well-being, where and when available, indicate that indigenous peoples are still often left behind."
Aug. 9 was chosen as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982. The international day was designated by the UN General Assembly in December 1994.
