International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2021

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2021

Context:

  • Every year on August 9, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is commemorated. According to the United Nations (UN), there are over 476 million indigenous peoples in the globe, scattered over 90 nations and representing 5,000 different civilizations, accounting for 6.2 percent of the global population and living in all geographic areas.

About:
World’s Indigenous Peoples

  • Like all International Days and Weeks, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed to raise public awareness about issues of concern, mobilize political will, and mobilize resources to address global issues. It is also observed to recognize indigenous communities’ contributions and achievements, as well as to highlight the plight they face in their existence.

The Importance of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples

  • • In December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to celebrate the inaugural meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. 
  • Every year, the United Nations commemorates this day to “demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, involvement, and consent in the creation of a system that provides social and economic benefits to everyone.”
  • Indigenous communities were disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, as their life expectancy was already 20 years lower than that of their non-Indigenous counterparts before the pandemic struck. 
  • The United Nations has been working to bring about constitutional reforms at the international level to address the mistreatment of indigenous peoples, including the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
  • Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States were the four countries that first rejected the declaration, but then changed their minds and decided to endorse it.
  • In 2022, the United Nations will launch the Decade of Indigenous Languages, which will be the first of its kind (2022-2032). It strives to preserve Indigenous languages, as well as their cultures, worldviews, and visions, as well as self-determination manifestations. According to the organization, one indigenous language dies every two weeks.

This year’s theme:

    • For this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the United Nations has chosen the subject “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the Call for a New Social Contract.”
  • The United Nations defines the social contract as a “unwritten agreement between societies to cooperate for social and economic benefits,” and it aims to encourage societies to treat indigenous communities as stakeholders because they were not included in the original social contract, which was formulated by dominant communities.
  • It praises indigenous peoples for combating climate change and promoting biodiversity, and calls on countries to create a “new social compact” based on “true participation and collaboration that encourages equitable opportunities and respects all people’s rights, dignity, and freedoms.” The right of indigenous peoples to participate in decision-making is critical to establishing reconciliation between indigenous peoples and states.”

Source: United Nations
Syllabus: GS 2 (International Organization)

Download Yojna IAS Daily Current Affairs of 11th August 2021

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