Problem
There are approx. 476 million Indigenous People spread across 90 countries [1]. These communities face human rights abuses on a daily basis [2,3]. 

These include violence, marginalization, forced removal or relocation, denial of land rights, impacts of development, and abuse by military forces [3]. Although they make up over 6 per cent of the global population, Indigenous Peoples account for about 15 percent of the extreme poor [1]. 

Due to discrimination they often face hurdles to their access to natural resources, basic services, the economy, justice, and participation in decision making [1].

Facts and Figures 

• Indigenous people represent about 5% of the world’s population [4].

• The majority of Indigenous People (70%) live in Asia [4].

• There are over 4,000 different Indigenous languages across the world [4].

• Indigenous Peoples’ life expectancy is up to 20 years lower than the life expectancy of non-indigenous people worldwide [1].

• While Indigenous Peoples own, occupy, or use a quarter of the world’s surface area, they safeguard 80 per cent of the world’s remaining biodiversity[1].

Solution

Human rights bodies need to address the issues that Indigenous Peoples face on an international level. 

The groundwork for this should be done by monitoring, mediating, analysing the situation for specific Indigenous groups and providing concrete recommendations for effective protection of Indigenous Peoples’ human rights [4]. 

Emphasis needs to be put on building capacities, increasing the number of Indigenous representatives and providing support for legislative initiatives [2].

Sources

1. World Bank - Indigenous Peoples (link)

2. OHCHR - Indigenous Peoples (link) 

3. United Nations - Indigenous People: Human Rights (link)

4. Amnesty International - Indigenous Peoples (link)