International Day of Indigenous Peoples

August 9th, XNUMX

Since 1994, August 9th has been celebrated as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, commemorating the first meeting of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in 1982. The purpose of this date is to raise awareness about the enormous problems faced by these communities, which are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in the world.

The indigenous populations found throughout Latin America and the Caribbean are numerous and diverse. However, most of them continue to fight for recognition and their right to autonomy, as well as resisting neocolonial dispossession and preserving their historical and cultural heritage.

They also share a rejection of the prevailing logic in our relationship with nature, which perpetuates human domination over the environment. Faced with the extractive model, whose dramatic consequences are increasingly evident and particularly affect these communities, they propose alternatives in defense of life and their territories.

To reflect on this topic, we recommend the CLACSO.tv interview with the Indigenous Guard within the framework of the International Forum – Social Dialogue for Equality and Human Rights, and reading Bulletin #9 Autonomies Today: Indigenous Peoples in Latin America, from the CLACSO Working Group Indigenous peoples, autonomy and collective rights.