STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

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EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionconsensus. Upholding these social institutions—and thus the organization ofthe local community—was to adhere to a generally accepted system of customsand mores or customary law. 31Along with colonization and the spread of non-indigenous institutional structures,indigenous social institutions have largely been replaced and subordinated to themodern state structures. Centralized systems of governance are now the norm,and these have been replicated from the capital to the local level, leaving littlepower or influence to traditional leaders. Customary laws have been forbiddenor subordinated to the formal mainstream legal system; social institutionsrelated to family, education, health and economy have disappeared, changed inaccordance with mainstream norms, or been weakened to the extent of losingtheir significance. The process of losing what has been called “the necessaryframe of reference for any culture to thrive” 32 has left many indigenous societiesseverely disrupted culturally and socially–more so in cases where the processhas been accompanied by the loss of land, territories and natural resources.The weakening of their traditional institutions has challenged indigenous peoples’distinct identities. When indigenous peoples therefore claim the right to maintaintheir social organization in the face of the pressures of the wider society, theyare actually appealing for the preservation of their culture. 33 This explains theimportance given by indigenous organizations to the issue of self-government.In many countries, there has been a push for de-centralization of political powerto create more consensus in decision-making and for indigenous peoplesto be included in policy-making and legislative reforms on issues that affectthem. In numerous instances, indigenous organizations have even been able,through negotiations and treaties, constitutional reform or special legislation,to establish agreements with states regarding this right to self-government. Inother cases, however, this has not yet been possible, and national or regionallevelgovernmental units still take it upon themselves to administer the affairs ofindigenous communities. 34culture should beintegrated as aprerequisite and a basisfor development projectdesign in order to build‘development withidentity’, respectingpeople’s way of life andbuilding sustainablehuman developmentAt the international level, on the other hand, the right of indigenous peoples totheir own institutions has been enshrined in ILO Convention No. 169 (articles2.2b and 8.2) and in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which,in Article 35, states“Indigenous peoples have the right to promote, develop andmaintain their institutional structures and their distinctivecustoms, spirituality, traditions, procedures, practices and,in the cases they exist, juridical systems or customs, inaccordance with international human rights standards.”31Stavenhagen (2005).32Stavenhagen (2005).33Stavenhagen (2005).34Stavenhagen (2005).CULTURE | 63
EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionAs indigenous peoples have further strengthened their own systems, they have also given thought to what andhow development should be pursued in their territories. There are various terms and concepts which they haveevolved to differentiate their paradigm of development from the mainstream model. The ones currently beingused are self-determined development, life projects, development with identity, autonomous development andethno-development. 35 The Programme of Action for the Second International Decade of the World’s IndigenousPeoples uses the term “Development with identity” when recommending “that culture should be integrated as aprerequisite and a basis for development project design in order to build ‘development with identity’, respectingpeople’s way of life and building sustainable human development”. 36Several funding agencies and development organizations are also acknowledging the importance of respectingindigenous institutions—not only because of their value for indigenous communities, but because they are nowseen as a source of inspiration and a way of ensuring sustainable results.Development with identityA new paradigm within development—“Development with identity”—has recently been promotedby several UN agencies, including IFAD, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and UNESCO. In itsOperational Policy on Indigenous Peoples and Strategy for Indigenous Development adopted in 2006, IDBdefines “Development with identity” as referring “to a process that includes strengthening of indigenouspeoples, harmony and sustained interaction with their environment, sound management of naturalresources and territories, the creation and exercise of authority, and respect for the rights and values ofindigenous peoples, including cultural, economic, social and institutional rights, in accordance with theirown worldview and governance.”The challenge for the strategy lies in supporting and promoting development initiatives and organizationalsystems unique to indigenous peoples in order to improve their living conditions through their ownleadership and in a manner consistent with each community’s specific socio-cultural situation and vision.This means greater access, with gender equality, to socioeconomic development opportunities thatstrengthen identity, culture, territoriality, natural resources and social organization, and reduce materialpoverty and marginalization.Source: IDB (2006).Culture and traditional knowledgeIndigenous traditional knowledge refers to the complex bodies and systems of knowledge, know-how, practicesand representations maintained and developed by indigenous peoples around the world, drawing on a wealth ofexperience and interaction with the natural environment and transmitted orally from one generation to the next.Traditional knowledge tends to be collectively owned, whether taking the form of stories, songs, beliefs,customary laws and artwork or scientific, agricultural, technical and ecological knowledge and the skillsto implement these technologies and knowledge. Not only does traditional knowledge provide indigenous35Tauli-Corpuz (2008).36See United Nations A/60/270 (2004).64 | CHAPTER II
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STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

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