Defending Rights, Shaping Futures
On August 9, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples reminds us of the importance of recognizing, respecting, and protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples across the globe. This year, the United Nations (UN) has chosen a forward-looking theme: “Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.” The topic will be central to events and discussions exploring how technological advancements can pose risks but also create new opportunities for self-determination.
This day of awareness and action comes in a context where the UN has, for several years, emphasized the unique wealth that Indigenous peoples represent for humanity. It has warned that their disappearance would be “an enormous loss for our world,” while also acknowledging their crucial role as guardians of biodiversity, especially as the “best defenders of forests.”
Among them, approximately 200 Indigenous groups live in voluntary isolation, particularly in Latin America, India, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. More broadly, 476 million Indigenous people live in 90 countries, representing 6.2% of the global population. Despite their invaluable cultural, linguistic, and spiritual diversity, Indigenous peoples remain three times more likely to live in extreme poverty.
In response to this reality, the UN launched a call in 2022 for a new social contract to build more equitable and sustainable societies. “We must demand the inclusion, participation, and approval of Indigenous peoples in the development of a system that delivers social and economic benefits for all.”
The International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), launched by UNESCO, further support efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages and promote the intergenerational transmission of knowledge.
Finally, this day is also an invitation to celebrate human diversity through the photo exhibition “The World In Faces,” a powerful tribute to the cultures, identities, and traditions of Indigenous peoples, and to their fundamental right to self-determination.
Young natives in the Amazon rainforest. Source Pixabay