There are about 350 million indigenous peoples in the world. Although they account for less than 5 per cent of the global population, they comprise about 15 per cent of all the poor people in the world.

The extent and persistence of poverty in many ways depends on whether poverty among indigenous peoples can be reduced by 2015. Poverty reduction among indigenous peoples is not simply a matter of service delivery. It is about equipping them with the capabilities they need to lead the kind of life they value, to be free from fear and to enhance their role as agents in transforming their lives.

Living far from centers of commerce and power, indigenous peoples may find it hard to influence the policies, laws and institutions that could improve their living conditions and shape their futures. Many of them do not have the legal right to live on the lands they depend on for survival or to use the resources they have managed on a sustainable basis for thousands of years. Resources are Increasingly exploited by outsiders, with few benefits flowing to indigenous communities and with little regard for the natural environment.

In the past, paternalistic development schemes often attempted to assimilate indigenous peoples into mainstream cultures. Such efforts were not only unwelcome but were also unsuccessful. To overcome poverty, indigenous peoples need special assistance that is based on their own objectives and that addresses the barriers they face and helps them protect their livelihoods, heritage and cultural identity.

Most indigenous peoples are proud of their diversity and of their languages and knowledge systems. In some cases, their unique cultural assets may help them raise their standards of living. Over the millennia many indigenous cultures have come to understand the importance of shifting cultivation, of recognizing plants with healing powers and of sustainable harvesting of food, fodder and fuelwood from forests.

Revitalizing this knowledge helps improve food security, raise household incomes and foster self-esteem. Creating market links between indigenous communities and external buyers can increase incomes and reduce poverty levels. National and local economies can greatly benefit from the contributions of indigenous peoples to ecotourism and environmental services.

There are many ways of enabling indigenous peoples to overcome poverty. One of the most effective is to support their efforts to shape and direct their own destinies, and to seek their free, prior and informed consent. By strengthening organizations of indigenous peoples it is possible to increase their ability to negotiate successfully with others on their own behalf. More and more indigenous peoples are seeking international recognition and the right to participate in defining agreements on issues that affect them, such as global warming.

The creation of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in 2000 was a milestone. It marked a success for indigenous peoples in their campaign to gain a greater voice in the international arena. The Forum is an advisory body to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and it has a mandate to foster discussions of indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. Five annual sessions have been held since it was established and they have focused, among other things, on the Millennium Development Goals.

An Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG) was established to support the mandate of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues within the United Nations System. That mandate was later extended to comprise broader support related to indigenous issues. The function of IASG is to allow the United Nations System and other intergovernmental organizations to examine proposals made by the Forum and to foster comprehensive and coordinated feedback as well as to mainstream indigenous issues within individual agencies. In the past five years, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have all chaired the IASG. The group is currently chaired by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

This year is very significant for indigenous peoples. On June 29, 2006 the newly created United Nations Human Rights Council adopted the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Work on the draft declaration dates back to 1982, when the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) created the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) with a specific mandate to establish a set of minimum standards to protect indigenous peoples. In autumn 2006 the proposed declaration will be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly for adoption. The proposed declaration affirms the right of indigenous peoples to preserve and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and heritage and to continue their development in harmony with their perspectives and visions.

Source: IFAD