There are 193 countries in the world who are members of the United Nations. Consequence of international politics, many territories and self-proclaimed nations are not considered as UN member-nations. 7.8 billion people live in the world speaking 6500 languages and practicing 4500 religions, Indigenous language and spirituality make up the vast majority of this cultural diversity. We live in a truly vast, diverse, interconnected, and global world. Our world is in a constant state of war and peace. 40 active conflicts are known in the world, while 70.8 million people are currently displaced from their homes, a striking number which includes 25.9 million refugees. Armed conflicts continue to escalate, while countless more communities experience human rights violations, for which violence disproportionately affects women and marginalised communities.
As we embark on 2021 and enter a new decade, we find ourselves among a crossroads. For many, we are experiencing a vulnerability we have yet to encounter in our lives. In an age of political power struggles fuelling war and hunger, we can feel and see our world dying around us. We feel it in the loss of food sovereignty. We feel it in the loss of our lands to corporations and nation-states. We feel it in the loss of culture. In an age where those with access become further and further removed from the stories and songs which our world speaks, the generations entering this new world understand that our survival hinges on our ability to re-envision relationships with our land and our communities. Our world is yearning for a change, for a new means.
Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind. That the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields. States Parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights have the obligation to ensure the equal right of all in economic, social, cultural, civil and political spheres.
There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous peoples in the world who live across 90 countries. Although they make up less than 6% of the global population, Indigenous peoples speak an overwhelming majority of the world's estimated 7,000 languages. Indigenous territory stretches over 20% of our earth and embody 5,000 different cultures. Yet, Indigenous peoples account for 15% of the world's poorest people.
A majority of Indigenous peoples live in Asia and face various forms of suppression and human rights violations trailing from long legacies of and continued practices of colonialism. It is estimated that over 10 million Indigenous peoples lived on Turtle Island (colonized as the United States of America) in the 1500s. In 1830, the US passed the Federal Indian Removal Act, which forced thousands of Indigenous people out of their homelands. For hundreds of years, conflicts with colonizers, biowarfare through intentional spread of disease, and discriminatory policies devastated the Indigenous People of North America. It is estimated that over 9 million Indigenous People died during this time. In the present day, many Indigenous Peoples in the US now live in areas designated as "Reservations." Histories of genocide are held by Indigenous peoples around the world, including that in Manipur, Northeast India.
As a result of systemic discrimination, extreme poverty, lack of social development and political marginalisation, Indigenous people are among the most vulnerable during conflicts - particularly intrastate conflicts, where they can be trapped in the crossfire or forced to represent a side. Peace-making efforts are usually negotiated at high political levels, where Indigenous people are rarely represented. Following transitional justice, reforms to guarantee sustainable peace often fail to address Indigenous peoples' specific issues and grievances that represent the root causes of conflict.
The United Nations system does not afford specific juridical mechanisms for the resolution of conflicts to which indigenous people are party. The international court of justice does not provide legal standing to indigenous individuals or collectives to pursue litigation against states and others. They have limited access to the human rights treaty bodies and the regional international courts, such as the Inter-American Court, in cases where a state party has agreed to optional protocols or has reporting obligations under a treaty. However, the decisions of these bodies are not binding and are often ignored. Thus, indigenous efforts in these forums have not had significant results.
The UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples provides the right for Indigenous people to develop their own decision-making procedures, including judicial systems. There is, therefore, a daunting need to create effective processes at all levels, founded on Indigenous values, in order to safeguard positive peace for Indigenous people. Relations between states and Indigenous peoples must always be remembered if some of the world's longest-running conflicts are to be solved.
Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace P.O. Box 27 New York, NY 10032, USA
