The United Nations recently adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Many have hailed this as a big victory for indigenous peoples around the world. In general I agree, but I live in one of the countries that chose not to sign the Declaration. Therefore, in the next two posts I will outline the components that I see as having relevance to the United States. First, however, it is interesting to see that the main thrust of the Declaration is basically in line with what Victor and I have been discussing concerning "cultural equity."
Here are the main points from the Declaration:
Affirming that indigenous peoples are equal to all other peoples, while recognizing the right of all peoples to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such,
Affirming also that all peoples contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humankind,
Affirming further that all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable and socially unjust,
Reaffirming that indigenous peoples, in the exercise of their rights, should be free from discrimination of any kind,
Concerned that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests,
Recognizing the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources.
It is always nice to see that one's thinking (in terms of cultural equity) is generally in line with the leading scholars and political thinkers in the field. However, there are many problems with the Declaration, especially in terms of why the United States, Canada, and other countries decided not to adopt the Declaration. The troublesome aspects of the Declaration will be outlined in the next two posts.
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