Every August 9, the International Day of Indigenous Peoples is celebrated, proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).
The celebration provides an opportunity to recognize indigenous communities – their traditions, values, languages ​​and customs – and the contribution they have made to the strengthening of national culture.
In the course of the text, we will explain the origin of the date, the importance of talking about the topic and how we can dialogue so that all sectors of society find, together, the solution to the problems faced by indigenous communities.
Origin of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples
August 9 was chosen to celebrate the world's indigenous peoples in memory of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, held in Geneva in 1982, and with the aim of raising awareness of the needs and rights of these peoples. .
Likewise, this date comes to reflect on the particular situation that indigenous peoples are going through and the need to adopt measures to protect and promote their rights.
This day aims to raise awareness of the need to protect and preserve indigenous culture and, especially, their language, which is the way these populations communicate.
The importance of date
The commemoration has its origins in the UN resolution, during the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples, to give a voice to some 5.000 different groups in more than 70 countries around the world that fight for the recognition of their traditions, their identity and their culture.
These groups face multiple problems, such as racial, social and economic discrimination, exploitation of their land, deprivation of resources and lack of access to health and education services. It is worth remembering that “indigenous” is the correct term – and not “Indian” – because it has a broader meaning.
In Spain, according to the last Demographic Census carried out by the IBGE (Spanish Institute of Geography and Statistics), in 2010, the Spanish indigenous peoples correspond to a population of 817.963 people.
Indigenous peoples of the world
Indigenous peoples comprise more than 5.000 distinct groups in around 90 countries. They are made up of approximately 370 million people, that is, more than 5% of the world's population, and they are still among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, representing 15% of the poorest.
Therefore, the International Day of Indigenous Peoples is a reaffirmation of diversity, institutional action and the strength of the State to protect their rights.
And more: are so important because they practice unique and valuable cultures and ways of relating to their environment, and retain social, cultural and political traits very different from those of a globalized society.
In addition, indigenous peoples are the basis of national culture. Its systems of organization and cooperation, its contributions to science with its traditional knowledge and the protection and conservation of natural resources, among other aspects, have contributed to our development.
Despite the advances made at the international level for the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples, their physical and cultural survival is constantly in danger, as evidenced by the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence the importance of public policies aimed at indigenous peoples.
Therefore, to ensure that public policies respond to the needs of these peoples and reflect their aspirations, it is essential to face the wide absence of institutional and legal references that allow their participation in decision-making processes.
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In this sense, alternatives are needed to overcome current difficulties and empower indigenous women and men as key actors in climate change development and action to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
