Context:
Recently, International Day of Indigenous Peoples was observed on 9th August to promote advocacy for Indigenous rights.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
International Day of Indigenous Peoples
- The day is celebrated every year on August 9th, established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994.
- It Commemorates the initial meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva, 1982.
- 2024 Theme: Focuses on “Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.”
Global Facts about Indigenous Peoples
- Approximately 200 indigenous groups choose to live in voluntary isolation in countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and India.
- An estimated 476 million indigenous people reside across 90 different countries.
- Indigenous populations constitute less than 6% of the global population but represent at least 15% of the world’s poorest.
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: These communities speak a majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and embody 5,000 distinct cultures.
