In news- Adivasi rights activists have criticised India’s representative at the UNPFII 22nd session for stating that the concept of ‘indigenous people’ was not applicable in the Indian context.
Who are indigenous people?
Indigenous peoples are the earliest known inhabitants of an area, especially one that has been colonized by a now-dominant group of settlers.
They are distinct social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced.
Theme of the session-
Theme: “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach”.
About UNPFII-
- The UNPFII is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council.
- It was established in 2000 with the mandate to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.
- The first meeting of the Permanent Forum was held in May 2002, with yearly sessions thereafter.
- The Forum usually meets for 10 days each year, at the UN Headquarters in New York.
- In addition to the six mandated areas (economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights), each session is thematically focused on a specific issue.
- The Permanent Forum is one of three UN bodies that is mandated to deal specifically with indigenous peoples’ issues.
- The others are the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Source: Down To Earth
