Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)

and strategies for exercising their
right to development. In particular,
indigenous peoples have the right
to be actively involved in developing
and determining health, housing
and other economic and social
programmes affecting them and, as
far as possible, to administer such
programmes through their own
institutions.” 194
thus, the declaration on the Rights of indigenous
Peoples makes a strong statement in favor of
assisting the development of indigenous groups
through measures that cater to their needs and
circumstances.
the declaration on the Rights of indigenous
Peoples also deals directly with a number of the
causes of impoverishment in indigenous communities
that were discussed above. Articles 18 and 19, for
example, call on states to include indigenous peoples
in the decision-making process on issues that affect
them through inclusion in representative bodies and
consultation with indigenous institutions. Article
21 protects “the right, without discrimination, to
the improvement of their economic and social
conditions,” including in the areas of employment,
housing, and sanitation. 195 A number of different
articles discuss the issue of indigenous land rights.
Article 10 states that indigenous peoples shall not
be removed from their land without consent and fair
compensation. Article 26 gives indigenous peoples
the rights to the lands that they have traditionally
occupied and used and calls upon states to give
legal recognition to these claims. Finally, Article 27
encourages governments to set up processes for
adjudicating local land rights disputes. 196
As evident in this brief description of the previous
international action on the impoverishment of
indigenous peoples, there is a strong precedent for
protecting the right of indigenous groups to equal
opportunities for development. The dire conditions
in which many indigenous peoples find themselves
today, however, suggest that this legal and
theoretical precedent is not enough. In order to solve
this problem, more calls for the protection of various
human rights will not be enough; the international
community must instead implement concrete plans
and policies for reducing poverty among indigenous
populations.
Possible Solutions
As suggested in the discussion of the problems
with the framework of the Millennium Development
Goals, the first step in solving the issue of poverty
among indigenous peoples is the creation of a
system for gathering more information on the
situations that indigenous peoples face and for
understanding the specific circumstances of
each group. First, instead of broad statistics for
development indices across the entire population, it
is necessary for countries to collect disaggregated
data for indigenous groups. 197 Collecting information
specific to indigenous people would also encourage
improved data collection techniques in general.
Having better data on indigenous populations would
raise awareness among the international community
on the issues facing these groups and would provide
an impetus for the implementation of policies that
are specifically targeted toward them. 198 in addition
to quantitative data, it is also vital to understand the
different circumstances that lead to poverty among
various indigenous populations. Some populations
are impoverished because they live in remote areas
without access to infrastructure and basic services;
others, because governments and private investors
have taken their local lands for development projects.
Plans and policies for improving the economic
situation of a specific population will, of course,
depend on the causes that lead to impoverishment
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