The International Day of
the World's Indigenous People is commemorated
each year on 9 August in recognition of the
first meeting of the United Nations Working
Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva
in 1982. The special day also recognizes indigenous
peoples' contribution to environmental protection.
This year's observance at the UN is being
organized by the Secretariat of the Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues, Department of
Economic and Social Affairs; and the NGO Committee
on the Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
The United Nations Environmental Programme
(UNEP) proudly joins with the rest of the
UN family in celebrating this international
day, and recognizes that indigenous communities
are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
"The Saami community in Scandinavia
is well-known for having brought the issue
of climate change and it's impact on their
future livelihoods to the fora of the international
community," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director.
In recognition of indigenous peoples' particular
vulnerability to climate change and their
important role in responding to it, the UN
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in its
2008 session will focus on "Climate change,
bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the
stewardship role of indigenous peoples and
new challenges".
Furthermore, the Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, as adopted by the Human
Rights Council in June 2006 and currently
being considered for adoption by the General
Assembly, also recognizes that respect for
indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional
practices contributes to sustainable development,
including proper management of the environment.
"The debate about rights and the debate
about an equitable approach to sharing resources
in societies will continue to accompany us
in UNEP and in the development process for
many years to come - hopefully with more positive
outcomes than we have often seen in the past.
Thus, celebrating the International Day of
the World's Indigenous Peoples is something
that matters to UNEP," said Mr. Steiner.
In caring for the environment, UNEP has long
considered indigenous peoples as important
stakeholders and actively seeks to cooperate
closely with indigenous peoples in the pursuance
of its mission of 'environment for development'.
For example, indigenous peoples use their
traditional knowledge to lessen the impact
of natural disasters.
UNEP has recently launched the Indigenous
Knowledge in Africa (IK) web site, a web-enabled
database containing information on indigenous
practices in Africa. The data presented on
the website is centered on four African countries
where research was carried out, namely; Kenya,
Tanzania, Swaziland and South Africa. The
research brings out four themes ? Nature Conservation,
Natural Disaster Management, Poverty Alleviation
and Traditional Medical Practices ? under
which various indigenous practices fall. The
overall theme however, is the sustainable
use of natural resources. This website aims
to cultivate interest in indigenous practices
the world over. It also aims to engage and
encourage governments, civil society, policy
makers and the private sector to incorporate
this vast repertoire of knowledge into development
projects and policies in a bid to save our
environment.
