Commemorative days exist in order to draw people’s attention to specific issues that need support, or to special achievements. This year on the date of August 9th, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is focused on the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.
AMS is dedicated to protecting the environment in any way we can, which includes monetary contributions to the Rainforest Trust. Like many others, we are very much concerned with the protection of the forests for the sake of the global environment. We are also very supportive of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to live as they have lived for millennia. The commemorative day of Indigenous Peoples this year is focused by the UN on protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples who live in isolation from outside contact and this isolation is voluntary and beneficial.
According to the UN website, development for agriculture is not a positive with regard to the ecological system. Below is a quote from the UN [LINK].
“Around 200 groups of Indigenous Peoples currently live in voluntary isolation and initial contact. They reside in remote forests rich in natural resources in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru and Venezuela. They choose to live detached from the rest of the world and their mobility pattern allows them to engage in gathering and hunting, thereby preserving their cultures and languages. These peoples have a strict dependency on their ecological environment. Any changes to their natural habitat can harm both the survival of individual members and the group as a whole.
“Despite their right to autonomy as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact face unique challenges often overlooked by the surrounding world. Developments for agriculture, mining, tourism and natural resources in their territories is resulting in the deforestation of swathes of Indigenous Peoples’ forests, disrupting their way of life and destroying the natural environment that they have protected for generations.”
Indigenous People Have Rights
One of the most serious threats of contact with the developed world is exposure to diseases. Through isolation they can avoid the diseases from which they have no immunity. The focus of the commemoration this year is on protecting their right to live as they always have lived and thrive as they always have. We have become informed and wise enough to know that their survival is crucial to the environment, and therefore to our survival as well. The article points out the following:
“Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact are the best protectors of the forest. Where their collective rights to lands and territories are protected, the forests thrive, alongside their societies. And not only is their survival crucial to the protection of our planet, but it is crucial to the protection of cultural and linguistic diversity.”
As we know, throughout history, the rights of Indigenous Peoples have not only been violated… they have been trampled. Genocide has been committed. Many Indigenous people have died from diseases and loss of their way of life. For the reason of respect and repair, the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations was held in Geneva in 1982. The date of August 9 is related to this event. It wasn’t until 1994 that the UN General Assembly decided that the day should be commemorated annually.
Wikipedia provides some further information: “In April 2000, the Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution to establish the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues that was endorsed by the Economic and Social Council. The forum’s mandate is to discuss indigenous issues related to culture, economic and social development, education, the environment, health and human rights.”
We appreciate what the United Nations is doing to protect Indigenous Peoples, and we appreciate all of the member States that support these efforts, as well as the States in the US that support and celebrate the Indigenous Peoples within our borders. Humanity is fortunately becoming more aware of the value of diversity, as well as human impact on the environment. We encourage support for Indigenous communities – all of them – and this support definitely includes the People who live in the forests and keep the forests alive and thriving. There are organizations that purchase and preserve threatened forests, and we encourage support of these organizations on this special day.
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AMS Fulfillment is a Certified B Corporation, dedicated to People and Planet before Profit. We work to B the Change we wish to see in the world.
