By Emma Banks
Vanderbilt University
Between
April 20-May 1, the United Nations hosted its fourteenth annual Permanent Forum
on Indigenous Issues in New York.
Representatives from state institutions, NGOs, indigenous advocacy
groups, and other organizations from around the world gathered to discuss the
future of indigenous people, and how the UN can incorporate the diverse
indigenous agenda in its programs and policies. This year was an especially important
meeting as the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire this year, and
will be replaced by a new set of fifteen-year goals, which will be called the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The MDGs made no explicit mention of indigenous peoples, but the UN has
since recognized the importance of indigenous voices in achieving development
goals and protecting natural resources for years to come. The UN must not only guarantee the
participation of indigenous people in name, but also monitor and evaluate
compliance with UN norms worldwide. To
this end, several organizations are experimenting with pilot
programs to allow indigenous people to report on state, regional, and local
compliance with the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). These programs are part of the UN goal to
create more robust development indicators that disaggregate data on indigenous
peoples to better understand their specific development challenges and needs in
the future.
