International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

A/RES/49/214No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 103Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, published in 1995.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 1994–2004

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/58/158

2004A/RES/58/158International Decade of the World's Indigenous PeopleLatestCompare with previous version
2003A/RES/57/192International Decade of the World's Indigenous PeopleCompare with previous version
2002A/RES/56/140International Decade of the World's Indigenous PeopleCompare with previous version
2001A/RES/55/80International Decade of the World's Indigenous PeopleCompare with previous version
2000A/RES/54/150International Decade of the World's Indigenous PeopleCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What does this mandate say?

34 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the preliminary report of the Secretary-General of 28 September 1994 on a comprehensive programme of action for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People and the annexes to that report;

Decides to adopt the short-term programme of activities for 1995 contained in annex II to the report of the Secretary-General, and invites the Commission on Human Rights, at its fifty-first session, to consider the short-term programme with a view to adjusting or supplementing it if required;

Invites Governments to submit written comments to the Secretary-General, by the end of August 1995, on the preliminary report and its annexes, with a view to the preparation of a final comprehensive programme of action for the Decade, to be submitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session;

Decides that the Decade will have an operational focus to implement its goals and that its theme will be "Indigenous people: partnership in action";

Encourages the Commission on Human Rights to consider the draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, contained in the annex to resolution 1994/45 of 26 August 1994 of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, with the participation of representatives of indigenous people, on the basis of and in accordance with appropriate procedures to be determined by the Commission, with a view to achieving the adoption of a draft declaration by the General Assembly within the Decade;

Recognizes the importance of considering the establishment of a permanent forum for indigenous people within the United Nations during the Decade, as recommended in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights at Vienna in June 1993, and requests the Commission on Human Rights to make recommendations in this regard;

Recognizes the importance of strengthening the human and institutional capacity of indigenous people to develop their own solutions to their problems, and for these purposes recommends that the United Nations University consider the possibility of sponsoring, in each region, one or more institutions of higher education as centres of excellence and the diffusion of expertise, and invites the Commission on Human Rights to recommend appropriate means of implementation;

Decides that the International Day of the World's Indigenous People shall be observed every year during the Decade on 9 August, requests the Secretary-General to support the observance of the Day, from within existing budgetary resources, and encourages Governments to observe the Day at the national level;

Expresses its appreciation for the work undertaken by the Goodwill Ambassador, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, and expresses the hope that she will continue to play an important role in promoting the Decade;

Recommends that special attention be given to improving the extent and effectiveness of the participation of indigenous people in planning and implementing the activities for the Decade, including through the recruitment, where appropriate, by relevant United Nations bodies and specialized agencies of staff from among indigenous nationals of Member States, consistent with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, within existing resources, and through consultation with Governments at the national, regional and international levels;

Recommends for this purpose that a second technical meeting on the planning of the Decade be convened immediately prior to the thirteenth session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, to be supported from within existing budgetary resources, and urges Governments, United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and, in particular, indigenous people's organizations to participate actively in that meeting, in accordance with agreed procedures;

Decides to consider at a later session the convening of meetings for planning and review purposes at appropriate intervals during the Decade, and urges Governments, United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and, in particular, indigenous people's organizations to participate actively in such meetings;

Recommends that the Secretary-General:

Establish, during the first quarter of 1995, the Voluntary Fund for the Decade and include that Fund in the annual Pledging Conference for Development Activities held at United Nations Headquarters;

Request United Nations representatives in countries where there are indigenous people to promote, through the appropriate channels, greater participation of indigenous people in the planning and implementation of projects affecting them;

Urge relevant United Nations conferences convened during the Decade to promote and facilitate to the extent possible, and as appropriate, the effective input of the views of indigenous people;

Ensure that information about the programme of activities for the Decade and opportunities for indigenous people to participate in those activities is disseminated in all countries and to the greatest possible extent in indigenous languages, to be financed from within existing budgetary resources;

Report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session on progress made at the national, regional and international levels in accomplishing these objectives;

Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to take into account the special concerns of indigenous people and the goals of the Decade in the fulfilment of his functions;

Requests the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, bearing in mind the contribution that indigenous people have the capacity to make, to establish a unit within the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat to support its activities related to indigenous people, in particular to plan, coordinate and implement activities for the Decade;

Invites the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights to consider the appointment of a fund-raiser who could develop new sources of funding for the Decade;

Requests the Administrative Committee on Coordination, through its inter-agency process, to consult and coordinate on the Decade, with a view to assisting the Coordinator of the Decade to fulfil his function, and to report on activities of the United Nations system in relation to the Decade to the General Assembly in each year of the Decade;

Invites United Nations financial and development institutions, operational programmes and specialized agencies, in accordance with the existing procedures of their governing bodies:

To give increased priority and resources to improving the conditions of indigenous people, with particular emphasis on the needs of those people in developing countries, including by the preparation of specific programmes of action for the implementation of the goals of the Decade, within their areas of competence;

To launch special projects, through appropriate channels and in collaboration with indigenous people, for strengthening their community-level initiatives, and to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise among indigenous people and other relevant experts;

To designate focal points for coordination with the Centre for Human Rights of activities related to the Decade;

Encourages Governments to support the Decade by:

Contributing to the United Nations Trust Fund for the Decade;

Preparing relevant programmes, plans and reports in relation to the Decade, in consultation with indigenous people;

Seeking means, in consultation with indigenous people, of giving indigenous people greater responsibility for their own affairs and an effective voice in decisions on matters which affect them;

Establishing national committees or other mechanisms involving indigenous people to ensure that the objectives and activities of the Decade are planned and implemented on the basis of full partnership with indigenous people;

Also encourages Governments to consider contributing, as appropriate, to the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, in support of the achievement of the goals of the Decade;

Appeals to Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to support the Decade by identifying resources for activities designed to implement the goals of the Decade, in cooperation with indigenous people;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fiftieth session the item entitled "Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People".

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International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

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