The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday September 13, by a majority of 144 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine). Click here to view the voting record.
Since its adoption, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States have all reversed their positions and now endorse the Declaration. Colombia and Samoa have also reversed their positions and indicated their support for the Declaration.
During the Durban Review Conference in April 2009, 182 States from all regions of the world reached consensus on an outcome document in which they “ Welcome[d] the adoption of the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples which has a positive impact on the protection of victims and, in this context, urge[d] States to take all necessary measures to implement the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with international human rights instruments without discrimination…” (UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Outcome document of the Durban Review Conference , 24 April 2009, para. 73).
>>>General Assembly Resoluton to commemorate the fifth
anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (A/66/459)
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/RES/61/295)
Official UN languages
[AR] [EN] [ES] [FR] [RU] [ZH] (PDF version)
[AR] [EN] [ES] [FR] [RU] [ZH] (html version)
Other languages
Note that these are unofficial translations provided to the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The terminologies used in the translations do not necessarily reflect that of the United Nations.
Arawok (spoken in Suriname) - provided by UNDP Suriname
Aucan (spoken in Suriname) - provided by UNDP Suriname
Aymara - provided by COINCABOL
Bahasa/Indonesian - provided by West Papua Interest Association
Belarusian
Bisaya (spoken in the Philippines) - provided by Tebtebba
Bodo (Boro) Spoken in India - provided by Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples North East Zone
Carib (spoken in Surname) - provided by UNDP Suriname
Cha'palaa (spoken in Equador)
- provided by UNICEF, Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office
Catalan - provided by alterNativa Intercanvi amb Pobles Indígenes
Crimean Tatar, provided by the Foundation of Research and Support of Indigenous Peoples of Crimea
Degar (spoken in Vietnam) povided by the Montagnard Foundation.
Dutch, provided by the Netherlands Center for Indigenous Peoples
Danish - provided by the Greenland Home Rule Government
Finnish
German - provided by the German Translation Section of the United Nations
Greek - provided by UNRIC Brussels
Greenlandic - provided by the Greenland Home Rule Government
Guaraní - provided by UNDP Paraguay
Hindi - provided by UNIC, India
Ilokano (spoken in the Philippines) - provided by Tebtebba
Innu (spoken in Innu-aimun) - provided by Innu Council of Nitassinan/Institut Tshakapesh
Italian - provided by the University of Torino
Karaim - provided by UNIC, Warsaw
Khmer - provided by RIPP/UNDP
Kichua (spoken in the Andes) - provided by UNICEF, Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office
Kituba - provided by UNIC, Congo
Kuna - (spoken in Panama)
Kwéyòl (spoken in Saint Lucia)
Guaraní - provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Paraguay
Japanese
Lingala - provided by UNIC, Congo
Malay - provided by RIPP/UNDP
Maori (spoken in New Zealand)
Maya - (Spoken in Central America)
Mapuche - provided by UNIC, Argentina
Miskito (spoken in Nicaragua and Honduras)
Náhuatl (Spoken in Mexico)
Norwegian - provided by the Government of Norway
Nepali - provided by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities
Persian - provided by UNIC, Tehran
Pilipino - provided by Tebtebba Foundation, Philippines
Polish - provided by UNIC, Warsaw
Portugues - provided by UN Information Centre, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sámi (North) - provided by Finnish Sámi Parliament
Sámi (Inari) - provided by Finnish Sámi Parliament
Sámi (Skolt)- provided by Finnish Sámi Parliament
Thai - provided by RIPP/UNDP
Trio (spoken in Suriname) - provided by UNDP Suriname
Turkish - provided by UNIC, Turkey
Wajana (spoken in Suriname) - provided by UNDP Suriname
Wichi - provided by UNIC, Argentina
>>>FAQs on the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
>>>PeRs Declaração das Nações Unidas sobre os Direitos dos Povos Indígenas
Message by Victoria Tauli Corpuz, Chairperson of UNPFII
Statement by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Statement by Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Statement by Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of UNPFII to the General Assembly
Press Release
Coverage of GA meeting and vote
>>>Media Advisory
Previous updates:
Early September 2007: An agreement agreement reached between the co-sponsors (67 countries) of the Declaration and the African Group of States (53 countries) on an amended text of the Declaration. This amended text will be submitted as a draft resolution to the General Assembly for adoption on 13 September. The draft resolution is now available in all languages.
January 2007: The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on 28 December 2006 adopted a draft resolution that would see the General Assembly defer consideration and action on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, with the aim of concluding consideration of the Declaration before the end of its current sixty-first session.
Under a revised draft resolution, whose main sponsor was Peru, with a number of European and Latin American countries listed as co-sponsors, the full text would have been adopted by the Assembly in relatively short order.
But an initiative led by Namibia, co-sponsored by a number of African countries, resulted in the draft being amended. In its new form, the draft would have the Assembly decide “to defer consideration and action on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to allow time for further consultations thereon”. Furthermore, the Assembly would also decide “to conclude consideration of the Declaration before the end of its sixty-first session”.
The amendments were adopted by a vote of 82 in favour to 67 against, with 25 abstentions (annex II). The amended draft was then adopted with a vote of 83 in favour to none against, with 91 abstentions (annex III), with the latter notably including countries that had been co-sponsors of the original motions.
Below are the links to the revised resolution to adopt the Declaration and the amendment.
(A/C.3/61/L.18/Rev1)
(A/C.3/61/l.57/Rev.1)
The final result of the discussions is contained in General Assembly Resolution 61/178, entitled Working group of the Commission on Human Rights to elaborate a draft declaration in accordance with paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994
These documents can also be retrieved from the UN's ODS system.
The United Nations Declaration is contained in the Report of the Human Rights Council
Indigenous Leaders at UN Headquarters
On Friday 20 October 2006, representatives of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus, the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
of Indigenous People met with the President of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa to appeal for the adoption by the General Assembly the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Photo: Mr. Jose Carlos Morales (Latin America), Ms. June Lorenzo (North America), Mr. Les Malezer (Pacific), Mr.Devasish Roy (Asia), Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues), Ms.Dalee Sambo Dorough (Arctic), Mr.Joseph Ole Simol (Africa), Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen (UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
of Indigenous People), Ms. Mirian Masaquiza and Ms. Elsa Stamatopoulou (Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues).
The efforts to draft a specific instrument dealing with the protection of indigenous peoples worldwide date back over two decades. In 1982 the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) with the mandate to develop a set of minimum standards that would protect indigenous peoples. WGIP was established as result of a study by José R. Martinez Cobo on the problem of discrimination faced by indigenous peoples throughout the world. The study outlined the oppression, marginalization and exploitation suffered by indigenous peoples.
WGIP submitted a first draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples to the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, which was later approved in 1994. The Draft was sent for consideration to the then U.N. Commission on Human Rights for further discussion and if it was deemed to be appropriate, to approve the proposed declaration before its submission to ECOSOC and the U.N. General Assembly.
The process moved very slowly because of concerns expressed by States with regard to some of the core provisions of the draft declaration, namely the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples and the control over natural resources existing on indigenous peoples' traditional lands. The need to accommodate these issues led to the creation, in 1995, of the open-ended inter-sessional working group to consider and elaborate on the 1994 draft declaration with the view that it would be adopted by the General Assembly within the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995-2004). The mandate of the Working Group was extended by the U.N.Commission on Human Rights into the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples (2005-2015). The Commission also urged the Working Group to "present for adoption as soon as possible a final draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous people".
At the 11th Session of the Working Group 2005/6, the Chairperson Mr. Luis-Enrique Chavez (Peru) prepared a compilation of proposals submitted and discussed during the 10th session, which formed the basis of negotiations. The Declaration, adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council in June 2006 is the exact version proposed by Chairperson Chavez.
It is expected that the Declaration will be submitted for adoption by the General Assembly at its 61st. Session. If adopted, the Declaration will not be legally binding for Member States. Nevertheless, it will have a major effect on indigenous peoples worldwide in regards to their rights. It is a comprehensive statement addressing issues such as collective rights, cultural rights and identity in addition to rights to education, health, employment and language among others. The Declaration emphasizes the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in accordance withe their aspirations and needs. The Declaration will undoubtedly assist indigenous peoples in their efforts to combat discrimination and racism.
The Third Committee will take up agenda item 68 "Report of the Human Rights Council" on Wednesday 1 November at 10 a.m. and will take action in due course on the recommendations contained therein, including the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. Should the Committee adopt the Declaration, it would recommend it for adoption by the General Assembly in its report of the Assembly under item 68, to be taken up by the Plenary in the course of December.
