International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples - August 9.
In 1994, the UN General Assembly decided that during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, International Day of Indigenous Peoples would be celebrated annually on August 9, the day of the first meeting of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.
370 million people living in over 90 countries. Carriers of a unique culture and traditions inherited from their ancestors. Indigenous peoples make up only five percent of the world's population, but 15 percent of the world's poorest people. To preserve their identity and protect the rights and interests, the UN celebrates the International Day of Indigenous Peoples.
For many years, indigenous peoples have fought for the right to preserve their culture, own their ancestral territories and manage natural resources. Despite differences in backgrounds and traditions, indigenous peoples around the world face similar challenges. In the vast majority of countries, they are among the most vulnerable and neediest groups in the population.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues operates under the auspices of the UN to discuss the problems of indigenous peoples and find solutions to them, and August 9 is annually celebrated as International Day of Indigenous Peoples.
This time the Day is dedicated to the topic “Migration and displacement of indigenous peoples”. It is generally accepted that representatives of indigenous peoples live in remote areas and lead a nomadic lifestyle. But it's not. In Latin America, for example, 40 percent of all indigenous peoples live in cities. In some cases, this figure reaches 80 percent. In such a situation, it is very difficult to preserve one's cultural and linguistic traditions.
“Indigenous peoples maintain a close spiritual connection with their lands and their natural resources. However, increasingly, for various reasons, they have to move, both within countries and abroad. Sometimes this displacement occurs by force, without prior consent,” the UN Secretary-General said in a message on the occasion of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples.
Difficult economic conditions, the extraction of natural resources on the lands of traditional settlement, environmental pollution make people leave their homes in search of a better life.
According to António Guterres, migration brings new opportunities for indigenous peoples, but also a threat: “Many indigenous migrants live in cities in extremely difficult and unsanitary conditions. Women and girls are subjected to violence, become victims of human trafficking…”.
The General Secretary expressed his hope that the celebration of the Day would be another occasion to remind the world community of the need to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples so that all representatives of indigenous peoples, without exception, can live in prosperity, preserving and increasing their traditions. To draw attention to the plight of indigenous peoples, the UN General Assembly declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
Dovletyar ARCHAMYRADOV,
the 2-nd year student of the Faculty of International Relations of
the Institute of International Relations of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.