Dag Hammarskjöld Library at Uppsala University
Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
- © United Nations
There is no internationally accepted definition of "indigenous peoples". Self-identification is often used as a fundamental criterion. The ILO convention 169 - Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention acknowledges self-identification and self-recognition as essential aspects: "Peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonisation or the establishment of present State boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions."
The right to self-determination is expressed in the UN Charter, in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights was established in 1947 as the main subsidiary body of the former Commission on Human Rights to combat discrimination and protect the human rights of minorities, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. In 2008 it was en replaced by the Human Rights Council Advisory Commmittee.
The Working Group on Minorities was established in 1982 to review developments in the field of human rights of minorities and give attention to the evolution of international standards concerning indigenous rights. The Working Group has elaborated a draft to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples passed by the Human Rights Council in June 2006. This mechanism has been assumed by the Human Rights Council.
By resolution 45/164 the General Assembly proclaimed 1993 as the International Year of the World's Indigenous People. It was followed by a Decade for Indigenous People 1995-2004 and a special day every year on August 9.
The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) was created in 2000 by the Human Rights Commission to focus on global issues of concern to indigenous peoples and to offer their participation in the forum.
In resolution 2005/79 the Commission on Human Rights requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to appoint an Indepent Expert Group on Minority Issues. This mechanism has now been assumed by the Human Rights Council.
Other UN programmes, funds and agencies in the field of minority rights:
UN body | Full name | More information in DagDok |
|---|---|---|
International Fund for Agricultural Development | ||
International Labour Organization | ||
United Nations Development Programme | ||
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | ||
Världsorganisationen för den intellektuella äganderätten |
Documentation
Documentation from the Human Rights Council Advisory Group can be accessed from its official web site. Documentation from the Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights are posted at its web site Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Documents in print carry the symbol A/HRC/AC/- for the Advisory Group and E/CN.4/Sub.2/- for the Sub-Commission. They are contained in the UN collections of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Uppsala, and the Libraries at UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva.
Full text documents from the Working Group on Indigenous Populations - WGIP can be retrieved from its official web site.
The official web site of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issue (UNPFII) provides background information and full text documents and reports.
In 2010 the United Nations launched its first publication on the State of the World’s Indigenous People.
Yearbook of the United Nations provides an overview of the United Nations work relevant to the question of the human rights of minorities. A complete collection of yearbooks is held by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Uppsala, and the Libraries at UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva. Since October 2008 the complete full text collection of The United Nations Yearbooks is available online at http://unyearbook.un.org/.
Databases and Indexes
UNFPII Recommendations Database is a monitoring mechanism based on the implementation of the recommendations made by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indinenous Issues.
The reports of the Independent Expert of Minority Issues to the Human Rights Council can be accessed through the Charter Body database at the UN official web site, section Human Rights.
The UN Library online catalogue UNBISnet contains reports, documents and articles related to UN activities with links to full texts for recent years. Subject search can be performed using relevant terms from the UNBIS THESAURUS.