International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples takes place each year on 9 August to promote and protect the rights of the world’s Indigenous populations, as well as to recognise the achievements and contributions made by Indigenous people.
The United Nations General Assembly first set aside the commemoration on 23 December 1994 to mark the day of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which took place in Geneva in 1982. This day is an opportunity to honour the strength, resilience, dignity and pride of Indigenous Peoples around the world, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Leaving No One Behind
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples has a different theme each year, with the 2021 theme being, “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.” COVID-19 has highlighted a number of inequalities that disproportionately affect Indigenous communities around the world, who already deal with issues such as discrimination, poverty, lack of education and poor health outcomes.
While many Indigenous peoples have successfully become self-governing to an extent (the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples being a prime example), their resources and lands are still subject to the wider authority of central governments. In the majority of cases, Indigenous peoples were not included in the social contract that was established when their country was colonised, and consequently are culturally, socially, politically and economically marginalised within the systems of the dominant population.
Despite the existence of initiatives designed to tackle this inequality, in many ways, Indigenous people are still left behind. The 2021 theme is a call for us to collectively create a new social contract based on providing equal opportunities, prioritising the participation of minority groups in decision making and respecting the rights, dignity and freedoms of all.
2021 Virtual Commemoration
As part of the observance, the UN’s Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch will be bringing together Indigenous peoples’ organisations, UN agencies, Member States, civil society and the general public for a live webinar on Monday, 9 August (EST). The virtual event will feature a panel of guest speakers who will discuss the need to redesign a new social contract for indigenous peoples, where their own forms of governance and ways of life must be respected and based on their free, prior and informed consent.
For details on the webinar and to learn more about the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, visit the UN website – and don’t forget to let us know how you will be celebrating!
