IN a statement the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is the first to follow the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.According to the ILO these extraordinary achievements have set the international community on a critical path to ending poverty and protecting the planet.

“The Agenda’s pledge that “no one will be left behind” requires particular attention to indigenous and tribal peoples – and especially to women among them – in our efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Indigenous and tribal peoples are uniquely vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion. They face specific difficulties in accessing quality education, decent work opportunities, support for income generating activities, and social protection. They are also among the most affected by the impacts of climate change and land dispossession,” the ILO statement read.

It added that the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and its four pillars of social dialogue, labour rights, social protection and employment, places the world of work at the centre of the solutions to social, economic and environmental problems. “We must ensure that indigenous and tribal peoples are able to realise their full potential as partners in delivering on the promise of inclusive, productive and sustainable development. Through access to decent work, millions of indigenous women and men around the world will become agents of change, not only to secure their own livelihoods and needs, but also to preserve their natural resources. This will contribute to the collective efforts of all the stakeholders to create prosperous and peaceful societies that respect the environment and act against climate change.”

According to the ILO its Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples stress the right of indigenous peoples to take part in decision-making processes on matters that may affect them directly. It is now critical to build strong and effective mechanisms for institutionalised dialogue, consultation and participation so that their voices be heard and their contributions harnessed.

“But this will be no easy task. It will require all of the key actors to come together: public authorities, employers’ and workers’ organizations, the representative institutions of indigenous and tribal peoples and civil society. The ILO is prepared, through its international conventions and supervisory mechanisms, and together with United Nations and development partners, to support this essential dialogue and help deliver on its vital conclusions. Together, by building bridges and strengthening partnerships, guaranteeing equal access to education and most importantly, by empowering indigenous and tribal peoples through decent work, we can surmount the challenges ahead.”

Meanwhile, European Union High Representative, Federica Mogherini in a statement reaffirms the union’s commitments to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. “Despite the many positive developments in recognising the rights of indigenous peoples, there are persistent human rights violations, including killings and abuses against indigenous Human Rights Defenders in a range of countries. The EU is therefore stepping up its efforts to protect Human Rights Defenders working on behalf of the most vulnerable and marginalised, including indigenous peoples, and those campaigning on land rights issues,” Mogherini said.

According to Mogherini, the EU is also stepping up its engagement with indigenous peoples, in line with the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy. Before the end of the year the EU intends to prepare an overview of its policies and actions supporting indigenous peoples, as well as a list of best practices. The promotion of cultural rights in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is also at the heart of peace-building through inter-cultural dialogue, as set out in the new European Union Strategy on international cultural relations.

At multilateral level, the EU engages in a consensual manner in the ongoing debates at the United Nations concerning the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In June of this year, the Organisation of the American States adopted the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration is the first instrument in the history of the Organisation of the American States which specifically addresses the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The EU congratulates the OAS and its Member states, as well as the indigenous peoples of the Americas, on this achievement. The Declaration will add a new dimension to the EU’s relations with its partner countries in the Americas.