August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It is celebrated around the world and marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982.
The 2021 commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will focus on the theme “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.” The 2021 commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will feature an interactive discussion with two speakers on the distinct elements to be considered when building and redesigning a new social contract that is inclusive of Indigenous peoples—where Indigenous peoples’ own forms of governance and ways of life must be respected and based on their free, prior, and informed consent and genuine and inclusive participation and partnership.
The guest speakers will be James Anaya, who has taught and written extensively on international human rights and issues concerning Indigenous peoples, and María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, an Ecuadorian scholar and diplomat who has held many leadership positions within the government of Ecuador, serving as minister of foreign affairs, minister of defense, and minister of cultural and natural heritage.
For more information about the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day.
