Representatives from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, today to garner international opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the reservation.
Over 80 U.S. Indian nations and organizations banded together to call for strong, action-oriented outcomes from the 2014 UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. (More...) (Declaración En Español) UN photo
by Robert T. Coulter - The Declaration contains more than 15 articles spelling out and protecting many aspects of tribal self-government and jurisdiction. Tribes are studying these detailed provisions, making strategies, and deciding what elements of the Declaration to implement first. The Declaration is a very useful guide for what changes are necessary, but it will take a strong, national campaign by tribes to get serious, concrete changes made.
December 16, 2010 -- Listen to and read Indian leaders' reactions.
December 16, 2010
Today, the United States government at last officially endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and joined the international community in recognizing that American Indians and other indigenous peoples have a permanent right to exist as peoples, nations, cultures, and societies.
This month marks the anniversary of the U.S. endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The United Nations adopted the Declaration in September, 2007, but it took three additional years for it to gain the support of the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, the only states to vote against it.
September 20, 2017 | Geneva, Switzerland
September 13, 2017 
The 10th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), which took place July 10-14, 2017, included a discussion of its new mandate and working methods. The expanded mandate is a result of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples of 2014, which requested the Council review EMRIP with a view to improve its mandate to better serve as an effective implementing and monitoring body for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The United Nations will delay any substantive action on their work to enable the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions at the UN. After years of discussions among indigenous peoples and member states, and several weeks of states-only negotiations this summer, member states were not able to reach consensus.
In a season of reckless threats and racist and misogynistic rhetoric, of xenophobia and border walls, indigenous peoples’ rights are at risk, whether intended targets or not. Right now, the Senate is considering a budget that calls for $1.6 billion for "high-priority tactical infrastructure and border security technology." This border wall that is envisioned by President Trump and U.S. lawmakers would cut across at least half a dozen Native American lands including Yuma, Apache, Yaqui, Pima, Kickapoo and Tohono O’odham.
July 10, 2017 | Geneva, Switzerland
It is hard to believe that on September 13, 2017, a decade will have passed since the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Over the last ten years, we have continued our work to ensure the promises in the Declaration are realized and, in spite of some challenges, we have seen some good progress in laws, policies, and practices locally and internationally.
(New York City, NY) — Indigenous leaders from across the United States and the world gathered in New York December 14-15, 2016, to participate in a consultation with the United Nations General Assembly on how to strengthen the participation of indigenous governments at the United Nations.
Center staff and board members are participating in information consultations of the current 71st session of the UN General Assembly on “Ways to enable the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations bodies on issues affecting them.”
This month marks the sixth anniversary of the United States announcing it would endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And in 2017, the world will celebrate the ten year anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration by the United Nations. While we have won some important victories, the work to implement the Declaration is far from over, and we must be united and vigilant to see the promises of the Declaration fully realized.
The UN Human Rights Council held its 33rd session on September 13-September 30 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tribal leaders from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and other Minnesota Indian Affairs Council representatives met with Indian Law Resource Center lawyers August 4, 2016, for a high-level workshop about how to engage in the United Nations system to protect tribal lands, sovereignty, and cultures.
Indian nations have historically been international actors and a part of the world community of sovereign nations, and this is shown by their treaties with the United States and other nations. Today, tribes are seeking to rejoin the international community in order to protect their lands, sovereignty, and cultures, and to benefit their communities, according to experts who spoke at the “Indian Nations in the United Nations” workshop hosted by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the Indian Law Resource Center on April 22, 2016 in Shawnee, Okla.
On September 22, 2015, the Human Rights Council held a half-day panel discussion on follow-up to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
Urging action to stop violence against indigenous women is a top priority for Center staff attending the UN Human Rights Council's 29th session from June 15 to July 3, 2015 in Geneva.
Executive Director, Robert T. Coulter, addressed the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva today recommending the swift establishment of an implementing and monitoring body for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The statement makes a number of recommendations about this body, including specific proposals regarding its mandate, structure, and composition.
Center delivers joint statement with Amnesty International to UN Human Rights Council
The clock is ticking for UN leaders to develop a system-wide action plan to fulfill the mandates outlined in the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples outcome document.
UN Seeks input from Indigenous Peoples
Four years ago, on December 16, 2010, when the United States issued its statement of support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it joined the world community in welcoming a new era of human rights.
Armstrong Wiggines urges world leaders to take action in Peru
Indian nations and organizations are banding together to call for strong, action-oriented outcomes from the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
Preparations for the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples continue and the Center remains committed to supporting tribal nations and indigenous peoples to achieve lasting measures to improve the lives of indigenous peoples.
