|
Empowering Indigenous Peoples | Publications and Resources
Projects and Initiatives
UNDP engagement with indigenous peoples at the country level is extensive and includes initiatives that focus on multiple issues from poverty reduction to sustainable development.
The Regional Initiative on engagement with Indigenous Peoples in Latin America
The Democratic Governance Cluster of the UNDP Regional Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean is implementing the Regional Initiative “Engagement with Indigenous Peoples in the Latin American and the Caribbean.” The initiative is part of UNDP Global Human Rights Strengthening Programme, which promotes the principle of meaningful participation as a key component of human rights for development. The initiative will provide opportunities to indigenous peoples' organizations to disseminate and promote the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in appropriate ways and languages. Read more >>
Establishment of Consultative Group of Indigenous Leaders
The UN Regional Directors Team in Latin America and the Caribbean region
has formally requested to set-up a Consultative Group of indigenous
Leaders for the UN agencies, taking as an example the Group of Indigenous
Leaders that UNICEF organized in 2003, and that has been supporting UNICEF actions on indigenous issues since then. The idea is to have a group that reflects the cultural indigenous richness of the
region. More news will follow when the group has been established.
UN-RIPP
The Regional Initiative on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development (RIPP) was launched in 2004. This initiative facilitates cooperations between Governments, UNDP Country Offices and indigenous peoples' organizations. It aims to develop the capacity of Government officials and representatives of indigenous peoples' organizations to integrate indigenous peoples' rights into national policy and strategies. Read UN-RIPP's newsletter (May 2009) >>
The regional initiative has completed its first phase of activities between 2004-2007; it will continue its work in the Asia-Pacific region from 2008-2011. During this phase, RIPP will strive to address indigenous issues at the regional level to ensure better integration in national development processes and outcomes, with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples providing guiding principles for its work, together with UNDPs policy of engagement.
UN-REDD Programme
The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) is a collaboration between FAO, UNDP and UNEP. The UN-REDD Programme is aimed at tipping the economic balance in favour of sustainable management of forests so that their formidable economic, environmental and social goods and services benefit countries, communities and forest users while also contributing to important reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Small Grants Programme
The Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), implemented by UNDP, is now operational in over 115 countries. Approximately 15% of its funding goes directly to projects implemented by indigenous peoples. GEF-SGP aims to deliver global environmental benefits in the areas of biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, protection of international waters, prevention of land degradation (primarily desertification and deforestation), and elimination of persistent organic pollutants through community-based approaches.
The Equator Initiative
The Equator Initiative is a partnership between the UNDP, civil society, business, governments and communities to develop the capacity and raise the profile of grassroots efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
IKnow Politics
UNDP, UNIFEM, International IDEA, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have pooled efforts to establish the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, an online network with the aim to increase information sharing and good practices on women's political participation and leadership amongst networks of international and local organizations. Indigenous women are emphatically included in the IKnow Politics network.
Promoting inclusive parliaments: the representation of minorities
and indigenous peoples in parliament
One of the criteria for a democratic parliament is that it should reflect the social diversity of the population in terms of gender, language, religion, ethnicity, or other politically significant characteristics. A parliament which is unrepresentative in this sense may leave some social groups feeling disadvantaged in the political process. More inclusive parliaments strengthen democracy, promote integration within society and prevent conflict. UNDP collaborates with the Inter-parliamentary Union in a new project that aims to understand and promote the effective representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament.
Partners
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
UNDP has been integrally involved in the work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, since its inception in July, 2000. UNDP has taken the lead on many issues raised by the Permanent Forum, including the disaggregation and usage of data on indigenous populations and the principle of free, prior and informed consent vis-a-vis development issues.
 UNDP report to the Eight Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2009) provides details of activities, projects and programmes undertaken by UNDP over the last years and in 2008 that are relevant to the work of the Permanent Forum.
View the Fact Sheet: "Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Voices (2009)", issued by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
|
The 
