UNDP calls for honouring of indigenous people

Accra, Aug. 4, GNA - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is calling on the world to honour indigenous peoples and to recognize their efforts to maintain their distinctive cultures, socio-political systems and identities. This was contained in a statement issued in Accra on Monday ahead of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, which falls on August 9 by Kemal Dervi, Administrator of the UNDP.

The statement said the Day also provided an opportunity for UNDP to restate its commitment to support those efforts within the context of the human development agenda, with its focus on allowing people to develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in dignity and in accordance with their needs and interests. "Despite their rich cultures and identities, indigenous peoples are often among the most marginalized populations in society, deprived of access to healthcare, education and participation in processes that affect their future.

"They also face dispossession of their traditional lands and livelihoods and destruction of their belief systems and language. Indigenous peoples are also disproportionately represented among those at risk of not achieving the Millennium Development Goals." Last year the UN General Assembly adopted a historic Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The statement said, the UNDP was working with national governments, the UN System and all other development partners to make a Declaration by the UN General Assembly on the rights of indigenous people a living reality.

For instance, it said, across Asia, UNDP was helping to bolster the capacity of government officials and representatives of indigenous peoples' organizations to integrate these rights into national policy. "In Africa, UNDP has provided support in Kenya to indigenous peoples' organizations that deliver legal aid services, raise awareness on the importance of girls' education and enhance opportunities for indigenous disabled children in schools." UNDP said it would continue to support efforts to ensure that indigenous voices were heard loudly and clearly and that they contributed to local, national and global development processes. "We can all benefit from their knowledge on a wide range of issues, from the promotion of human development to climate change and environmental sustainability," it said.