International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs issued the book "Making the Declaration Work: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" in December 2009. The book is written by people who were involved deeply in the process to issue the declaration. Below is the introduction.
International
Working Group for Indigenous Affairs
issued the book "Making the Declaration Work: The United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" in December 2009.
The book is written by people who were involved deeply in the process
to issue the declaration. Below is the introduction.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a culmination
of a centuries-long struggle by indigenous peoples for justice. It is
an important new addition to UN human rights instruments in that it
promotes equality for the world's indigenous peoples and recognizes
their collective rights.
The Declaration is the fruition of the work of scores of individuals
over more than 25 years of protracted and intense negotiations. In a
first for multi-lateral human rights negotiations, indigenous peoples,
as rights-bearers, sat alongside UN and governmental leaders and diplomats,
driving the recognition of their rights under international law.
The authors of this collective book, of interest to the specialist as
well as the general public, were for many years intimately involved
in the Declaration process. It tells the story of the Declaration from
the inside, detailing its history, negotiations, content and broader
significance. Contributions come from the world over ranging from indigenous
activists, to members of the Human Rights Council and its various working
groups and mechanisms, as well as UN and governmental officials who
engineered the process from beginning to end.
To
download the book, please click here (International Working Group for
Indigenous Affairs).