In order to raise awareness of the needs of the Indigenous people, every 9th August the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated. This day was chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982. On 23 December 1994, through the resolution 49/214 the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year in order to raise awareness of the needs of indigenous peoples. This year’s theme...

Water is the driving force of all nature. - Leonardo da Vinci Since early times it has been clear to us that water is crucial for our existence and development. Since 1993, this has been officially emphasized by celebrating the 22nd of March as World Water Day. This day serves for all of us as a reminder of the importance of clean water and to become more aware of how we use and manage the water available to us. It is addressed to governments and businesses to create policies and practices...

 The 42ndSession of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations started in Geneva on the 9thof September, and will finish on September 27. During this period, there will be debates, several reports from the Special Procedure mandate-holders as well as side events on different human rights issues with special emphasis on indigenous people’s rights. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, identified several challenges confronting us today. In particular, she highlighted how climate change is becoming a global threat to human rights. In fact, according to the World...

IIMA and VIDES International had the pleasure to be co-organizers of the side event “Climate Change: It is happening here, it is happening now”, that took place on June 26, 2019, during the 41st Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), organized by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines and the Associazione Papa Giovani XXIII (APGXXIII) . Among the distinguished panelists were the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines, H.E. Mr. Evan Garcia, Mr. Obiorar Okafor, Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity, Mr. Stefano Saldi, Representative of the...

On September 20, 2017 the Human Rights Council held its panel discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples. The backdrop for this event was the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The panel was headed by Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore who noted that many years ago the chief of the Iroquois, a historical North American native tribe, came to what was then the League of Nations and felt an atmosphere of indifference. This begs the question,...