Launch of the ILO report on the Rights of indigenous peoples in Asia

Speakers:

• Martin Oelz, Team leader (indigenous peoples),
• Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch (ILOGeneva)
• Gam Shimray, Secretary-General
• Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is launching a new report on the rights of indigenous peoples in Asia. The report draws a realistic picture of major trends and challenges, and identifies important opportunities in the framework of the new global agendas on sustainable development and climate action.

The report offers a comprehensive overview of national laws and policies concerning indigenous peoples in ten countries in South Asia and South-East Asia. It uses the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as reference framework. It can serve as a tool for informing future policy debates, ensuring that indigenous peoples’ rights, concerns and aspirations are an integral part of development strategies and plans.

The report was prepared as a contribution to on-going efforts to roll out the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, taking into account that indigenous peoples are at risk of being left behind.