International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022: All you need to know

On 9 August, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is marked every year. This special day is marked to protect the rights of the indigenous populations around the globe.

The United Nations decided to celebrate this day to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of the indigenous communities.

After analysing the indigenous issues presented by the Economic and Social Council, the Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution in April 2000 to set up the Permanent United Nations Forum.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 theme:

Every year, the United Nations chooses a theme for commemorating the day.

This year, the theme for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 is ‘The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge"

This theme emphasises the role that women of indigenous communities play in carrying forward their traditions and cultures.

History:

On 9 August 1982, the first Working Group on Indigenous Populations was formed by the United Nations following the UN meeting in Geneva.

In the meeting, the UN body was assigned the task to draft the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The main focus was to work on the issues related to education, culture, economic and social development, environment, and health of these communities.

The United Nations General Assembly on 23 December 1994 decided to observe International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples annually on 9 August in recognition of the inaugural session of the UN working body on Indigenous Populations.

Significance:

Every year, the United Nations celebrates the day by sharing updates on annual projects and activities relevant to the latest theme.

This year, The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will host a virtual session from 9 am to 11 am (EST) on Tuesday, 9 August 2022 to discuss the theme.

They have also invited indigenous peoples, member states, UN entities, civil society and the general public to join the virtual session where the current scenario of the world’s indigenous communities will be presented.