Sweeter the Second Decade Around
Spread across the globe from the Arctic to the South Pacific, indigenous people number at a rough estimate of 300 million. Among them are the Indians of the Americas, the InuitandAleutians around the polarregion, the Saami of northern Eumpe, the Aborigines and Torre Strait Islanders of Australia, the Maori of New Zealand and Vedas of Sri Lanka. Indigenous or aboriginal peoples are so-called because they were living on their lands before settlers came elsewhere and they are the descendants of those who inhabitated a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures arrived.
Throughout human history, whenever dominant neighboring people ha’ve expanded their teriitories or settlers from farawqliave acquired new 1nds by force, thecultures and liv even the existence – of indigenous people have been endangered and at worst ftrgotten by the world, itself And to recognize theirexistence and their rights as a collective group, the world celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on its second decade on Aug. 9, 2006. The observance of this Day and Decade by the United Nations and a significant number of governments and people’s organizations around the world is a sign of growing concern for the rights and welfare of indigenous communities.
Back in 1994, the General Assembly proclaimed that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on the 9th of August every year during the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004) to strengthen international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health. The first decade of the celebration also established a Voluntary Fund for the Decade for the purpose of financing projects and programs that were organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues in the Department of Public Information, and the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.