Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Articles from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Article 3
Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue
of that right they freely determine their political status and freely
pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

Article 4
Indigenous peoples, in exercising their right to self-determination,
have the right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing
their autonomous functions.

Article 8
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be
subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.

2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and
redress for:

(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them
of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values
or ethnic identities;

(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing
them of their lands, territories or resources;

(c) Any form of forced population transfer which has the aim
or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;

(d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration;

(e) Any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite
racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them.

Article 10
Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or
territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and
informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after
agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with
the option of return.

Article 11
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their
cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain,
protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of
their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts,
designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts
and literature.

2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which
may include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous
peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual
property taken without their free, prior and informed consent
or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.

Article 13
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and
transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions,
philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate
and retain their own names for communities, places and persons.

2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that this right is
protected and also to ensure that indigenous peoples can understand
and be understood in political, legal and administrative proceedings,
where necessary through the provision of interpretation or by other
appropriate means.

Article 14
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their
educational systems and institutions providing education in their
own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of
teaching and learning.

2. Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the right to
all levels and forms of education of the State without discrimination.

3. States shall, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, take effective
measures, in order for indigenous individuals, particularly children,
including those living outside their communities, to have
access, when possible, to an education in their own culture and provided
in their own language.

Article 16
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in
their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous
media without discrimination.2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that State-owned
media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. States, without
prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage
privately owned media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural
diversity.

Article 18
Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making
in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives
chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures,
as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous decisionmaking
institutions.

Article 19
States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous
peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in
order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting
and implementing legislative or administrative measures that
may affect them.

Article 20
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their
political, economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure
in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development,
and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic
activities.

2. Indigenous peoples deprived of their means of subsistence and
development are entitled to just and fair redress.

Article 21
1. Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to
the improvement of their economic and social conditions, including,
inter alia, in the areas of education, employment, vocational training
and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security.

2. States shall take effective measures and, where appropriate, special
measures to ensure continuing improvement of their economic
and social conditions. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights
and special needs of indigenous elders, women, youth, children and
persons with disabilities.

Article 22
1. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs
of indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities
in the implementation of this Declaration.

2. States shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples,
to ensure that indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection
and guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination.

Article 25
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their
distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or
otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and coastal
seas and other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to
future generations in this regard.

Article 26
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and
resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise
used or acquired.

2. Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop and
control the lands, territories and resources that they possess by reason
of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use,
as well as those which they have otherwise acquired.

3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands,
territories and resources. Such recognition shall be conducted with
due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the
indigenous peoples concerned.

Article 28
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to redress, by means that can
include restitution or, when this is not possible, just, fair and equitable
compensation, for the lands, territories and resources which they
have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used, and which
have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used or damaged without
their free, prior and informed consent.

2. Unless otherwise freely agreed upon by the peoples concerned,
compensation shall take the form of lands, territories and resources equal in quality, size and legal status or of monetary compensation
or other appropriate redress.

Article 29
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection
of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands
or territories and resources. States shall establish and implement
assistance programmes for indigenous peoples for such conservation
and protection, without discrimination.

2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that no storage or
disposal of hazardous materials shall take place in the lands or territories
of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed
consent.

3. States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed,
that programmes for monitoring, maintaining and restoring the
health of indigenous peoples, as developed and implemented by the
peoples affected by such materials, are duly implemented.

Article 30
1. Military activities shall not take place in the lands or territories
of indigenous peoples, unless justified by a relevant public interest or
otherwise freely agreed with or requested by the indigenous peoples
concerned.

2. States shall undertake effective consultations with the indigenous
peoples concerned, through appropriate procedures and in
particular through their representative institutions, prior to using
their lands or territories for military activities.

Article 32
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop
priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands or
territories and other resources.

2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous
peoples concerned through their own representative institutions
in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the
approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other
resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization
or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.

3. States shall provide effective mechanisms for just and fair redress
for any such activities, and appropriate measures shall be taken to
mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual
impact.

Article 38
States, in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples,
shall take the appropriate measures, including legislative measures,
to achieve the ends of this Declaration.

Article 39
Indigenous peoples have the right to have access to financial and
technical assistance from States and through international cooperation,
for the enjoyment of the rights contained in this Declaration.

Article 40
Indigenous peoples have the right to access to and prompt decision
through just and fair procedures for the resolution of conflicts and
disputes with States or other parties, as well as to effective remedies
for all infringements of their individual and collective rights. Such
a decision shall give due consideration to the customs, traditions,
rules and legal systems of the indigenous peoples concerned and
international human rights.

Article 42
The United Nations, its bodies, including the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, and specialized agencies, including at the country
level, and States shall promote respect for and full application of
the provisions of this Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of
this Declaration.

Article 43
The rights recognized herein constitute the minimum standards for
the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the
world.
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(we must know and understand what international law say about the rights of indigenous peoples)