Popular

Indigenous Communities Worldwide

They manage 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity, yet they only occupy 22% of planet’s surface. They represent fewer than 5% of the global population, but amount to 15% of people living in poverty.

Which social group are subject to these statistical imbalances? We are talking about the world’s indigenous communities.

Although international organizations generally avoid attributing a universal definition to the world's indigenous communities, the United Nations has identified two common features that encompass them: specific legal rights based on historic links with a certain territory, and; cultural, linguistic and historical differences to other peoples who dominate them politically.

The United Nations approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, establishing a universal framework of minimum standards for the dignity, well-being and rights of indigenous peoples worldwide. This declaration promulgates the suffering of indigenous peoples, caused by “historic injustices… preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests”.

Source: Sustainability for all & FAO