OEA Adopts American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

After 17 years of discussions, on June 15th, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Santo Domingo, adopted the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration recognizes:The collective organization and multicultural and multilingual character of indigenous peoples; the self-identification of people who consider themselves indigenous; and a compromise to work in promoting and effectively protecting the rights of the indigenous peoples.

Hector Huertas a Panamanian indigenous leader who took part in the entire process said: “Today the OAS is honoring an historical debt to indigenous peoples from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego by acknowledgingthe rights of the more than 50 million indigenous who live in the Americas.”

Huertas stressed that the Declaration introduces a new framework for relations between states and indigenous peoples, including greater respect for their human rights and their consideration on topics such as sustainable development.

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