We fight for our Indigenous rights!
Like everyone, Indigenous people have all of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However Indigenous people have specific rights because of their unique position as first peoples of their nations.
There are 370 million Indigenous people in the world. These groups are very diverse but there are common issues that affect Indigenous people globally.
Often due to the lingering effects of colonisation and oppression, Indigenous people are vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment and excluded from effectively participating in processes that affect their rights. This means that today we experience poverty, poor health, poor education, pollution of our drinking water due to (illegal) gold mining and restrictions on self-determination.
Our unique rights help to ensure that our culture continues to exist into the future. This includes our rights to speak and teach our native language and customs, to live on the land of our ancestors, and to look after sacred sites.