Saturday, May 25, 2013

TASAF III INDIGENOUS PEOPLE POLICY FRAMEWORK

IPPF report is now available...

APPLICATION OF THE CONCEPT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

   International Standards

In the last few years, there have been some important steps taken in Sub-Saharan Africa to promote Indigenous Peoples rights.  The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), a sub-body of the African Union, took a historic step in 2003 to publish the document “Report of the African Commission’s Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities”. This groundbreaking report is the ACHPR official conceptualization of, and framework for, the issue of the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, and as such it is an important African instrument for recognizing Indigenous Peoples in Africa and improving their situation.  In its report, the ACHPR outlines key characteristics, which identify Indigenous Peoples and communities in Africa.  The report emphasizes that the African peoples who are applying the term “indigenous” in their efforts to address their particular human rights situation embrace mainly hunter-gatherers and pastoralists.  The ACHPR report emphasizes that the overall characteristics of groups identifying themselves as Indigenous Peoples are that:

  • Their cultures and ways of life differ considerably from the dominant society.
  • Their cultures are under threat, in some cases to the point of extinction.
  • The survival of their particular way of life depends on access and rights to their lands and the natural resources thereon.
  • They suffer from discrimination as they are regarded as less developed and less advanced than other more dominant sectors of society.
  • They often live in inaccessible regions, often geographically isolated.
  • They suffer from various forms of marginalization, both politically and socially.

The full report can be downloaded here icon TASAF III -Final IPPF (168.67 kB 2012-01-17 11:20:22)