Despite important achievements over the past decade to improve the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, safeguard their cultures, and expand their participation at the UN, “deep chasms” endure between commitments made and reality on the ground, the President of the General Assembly said on Wednesday.
“In these trying times – where peace is under severe threat, and dialogue and diplomacy are in dire need – let us be an example of constructive dialogue to honour our commitments to Indigenous Peoples,” Dennis Francis told world leaders and ambassadors meeting in the General Assembly Hall.
Member States convened to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, where countries reaffirmed their commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous People.
The outcome document voiced support for implementing the landmark UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007, which prescribed minimum standards for the recognition, protection and promotion of these rights.
Mr. Francis reflected on UN achievements over this period, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which promises to leave no one behind, and the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032),which aims to both preserve these languages and protect Indigenous cultures, traditions, wisdom and knowledge.
“Despite these strides, Indigenous Peoples still are more likely to live in extreme poverty – still more likely to suffer from the adverse impacts of climate change, and still more likely to face dispossession and eviction from ancestral lands, as well as having unequal access to health and education, compared to other groups,” he said.
Additionally, Indigenous women are still three times more likely to experience sexual violence in their lifetime compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.
“We must intensify our actions to translate the landmark 2007 UN Declaration into meaningful change on the ground,” he said.