Indigenous Peoples of the World

Did you know there are over 5,000 Indigenous Peoples and Nations in the world?

Together, they speak more than 4,000 of the nearly 7,000 languages that are still used today.

Their territories cover about 20 percent of the earth's surface, overlapping many of the world's remaining areas of biological diversity. Their bio-cultural heritage plays an important role in the protection of this diversity and the ecosystems that house it.

Despite the apparent social and political advances of civilization, the world's Indigenous Peoples continue to experience great challenges at the hands of governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Displacement, the loss of access to natural resources and human rights abuses are a frequent occurrence. As a result, Indigenous Peoples are being dragged to extinction in many parts of the world.

Indigenous Peoples aren't accepting the "zero future" that is being handed to them. They are struggling to reclaim their lands, develop sustainable economies, protect their languages, identities and cultural resources.

With the help of national laws and international agreements like ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they are striving to secure their basic rights and help usher in a global climate of accountability, health, peace and goodwill between all nations and states.

 

We're fighting for our lives

Indigenous Peoples are putting their bodies on the line and it's our responsibility to make sure you know why. That takes time, expertise and resources - and we're up against a constant tide of misinformation and distorted coverage. By supporting IC you're empowering the kind of journalism we need, at the moment we need it most.

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