WUNRN
STATE OF THE WORLD'S INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES
UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the
UN
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
"Not
only are indigenous peoples discriminated against by States and their
authorities, but their marginalization also manifests itself in their social
interactions. Furthermore, estimates indicate that more than one in three
indigenous women worldwide have been or will be raped in their lifetime."
MULTIPLE GENDER DIMENSIONS IN REPORT
Direct Link to Full 250-Page Report: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/SOWIP_web.pdf
Indigenous
peoples contribute extensibly to humanity's cultural diversity, enriching it
withmore than two thirds of its languages and an extrordinary amount of its
traditional knowledge.
There
are over 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries, living in all
regions of the world. The situation of indigenous peoples in many parts of the
world is critical today. Poverty rates are significantly higher among
indigenous peoples compared to other groups. While they constitute 5 per cent
of the world's population, they are 15 per cent of the world's poor. Most
indicators of well-being show that indigenous peoples suffer disproportinately compared
to non-indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples face systemic discrimination and
exclusion from political and economic power; they continue to be
over-represented among the poorest, the illiterate, the destitute; they are
displaced by wars and environmental disasters; indigenous peoples are
dispossessed of their ancestral lands and deprived of their resources for
survival, both physical and cultural; they are even robbed of their very right
to life.
In
more modern versions of market exploitation, indigenous peoples see their
traditional knowledge and cultural expressions marketed and patented without
their consent or participation.
Of
the some 7,000 languages today, it is estimated that more than 4,000 are spoken
by indigenous peoples. Language specialists predict that up to 90 per cent of
the world’s languages are likely to become extinct or threatened with
extinction by the end of the century.
Although
the state of the world's indigenous peoples is alarming, there is some cause
for optimism. The international community increasingly recognizes indigenous
peoples' human rights, most prominently evidenced by the UN Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous peoples themselves continue to
organize for the promotion of their rights. They are the stewards of some of
the world's most biologically diverse areas and their traditional knowledge
about the biodibversity of these areas is invaluable. As the effects of climate
change are becoming clearer, it is increaslingly evident that indigenous peoples
must play a central role in developing adaptation and mitigation efforts to
this global challenge.
The
State of the World's Indigenous Peoples is the result of a collaborative
effort, organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues. The Chapters were written by independent experts.
Foreword by Mr. Sha Zukang Under-Secretary General for Economic
and Social Affairs
Introduction by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues
Chapter I: Poverty and Well Being by Joji Carino
Chapter II: Culture by Naomi Kipuri
Chapter III: Environment by Neva Collings
Chapter IV: Contemporary Education by Duane Champagne
Chapter V: Health by Myrna Cunningham
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