Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
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<strong>and</strong> strategies for exercising their<br />
right to development. In particular,<br />
indigenous peoples have the right<br />
to be actively involved in developing<br />
<strong>and</strong> determining health, housing<br />
<strong>and</strong> other economic <strong>and</strong> social<br />
programmes affecting them <strong>and</strong>, as<br />
far as possible, to administer such<br />
programmes through their own<br />
institutions.” 194<br />
thus, the declaration on the Rights of indigenous<br />
Peoples makes a strong statement in favor of<br />
assisting the development of indigenous groups<br />
through measures that cater to their needs <strong>and</strong><br />
circumstances.<br />
the declaration on the Rights of indigenous<br />
Peoples also deals directly with a number of the<br />
causes of impoverishment in indigenous communities<br />
that were discussed above. Articles 18 <strong>and</strong> 19, for<br />
example, call on states to include indigenous peoples<br />
in the decision-making process on issues that affect<br />
them through inclusion in representative bodies <strong>and</strong><br />
consultation with indigenous institutions. Article<br />
21 protects “the right, without discrimination, to<br />
the improvement of their economic <strong>and</strong> social<br />
conditions,” including in the areas of employment,<br />
housing, <strong>and</strong> sanitation. 195 A number of different<br />
articles discuss the issue of indigenous l<strong>and</strong> rights.<br />
Article 10 states that indigenous peoples shall not<br />
be removed from their l<strong>and</strong> without consent <strong>and</strong> fair<br />
compensation. Article 26 gives indigenous peoples<br />
the rights to the l<strong>and</strong>s that they have traditionally<br />
occupied <strong>and</strong> used <strong>and</strong> calls upon states to give<br />
legal recognition to these claims. Finally, Article 27<br />
encourages governments to set up processes for<br />
adjudicating local l<strong>and</strong> rights disputes. 196<br />
As evident in this brief description of the previous<br />
international action on the impoverishment of<br />
indigenous peoples, there is a strong precedent for<br />
protecting the right of indigenous groups to equal<br />
opportunities for development. The dire conditions<br />
in which many indigenous peoples find themselves<br />
today, however, suggest that this legal <strong>and</strong><br />
theoretical precedent is not enough. In order to solve<br />
this problem, more calls for the protection of various<br />
human rights will not be enough; the international<br />
community must instead implement concrete plans<br />
<strong>and</strong> policies for reducing poverty among indigenous<br />
populations.<br />
Possible Solutions<br />
As suggested in the discussion of the problems<br />
with the framework of the Millennium Development<br />
Goals, the first step in solving the issue of poverty<br />
among indigenous peoples is the creation of a<br />
system for gathering more information on the<br />
situations that indigenous peoples face <strong>and</strong> for<br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing the specific circumstances of<br />
each group. First, instead of broad statistics for<br />
development indices across the entire population, it<br />
is necessary for countries to collect disaggregated<br />
data for indigenous groups. 197 Collecting information<br />
specific to indigenous people would also encourage<br />
improved data collection techniques in general.<br />
Having better data on indigenous populations would<br />
raise awareness among the international community<br />
on the issues facing these groups <strong>and</strong> would provide<br />
an impetus for the implementation of policies that<br />
are specifically targeted toward them. 198 in addition<br />
to quantitative data, it is also vital to underst<strong>and</strong> the<br />
different circumstances that lead to poverty among<br />
various indigenous populations. Some populations<br />
are impoverished because they live in remote areas<br />
without access to infrastructure <strong>and</strong> basic services;<br />
others, because governments <strong>and</strong> private investors<br />
have taken their local l<strong>and</strong>s for development projects.<br />
Plans <strong>and</strong> policies for improving the economic<br />
situation of a specific population will, of course,<br />
depend on the causes that lead to impoverishment<br />
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