In an increasingly globalised world in which food, products and even ideas tend to be standardised, diversity is all too often seen as an obstacle, an incongruity to be smoothed away.

The resilience of diversity

And yet, scattered across the globe, there are still many communities — more than five thousand — that resist this cultural flattening and perpetuate ancient traditions and ways of life, with social, cultural, economic and political characteristics distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. It is precisely to celebrate the wonderful anthropological diversity of our planet that 9 August marks World Indigenous Peoples Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994.

Protecting indigenous populations from "civilisation"

Despite the uniqueness of each ethnic group and the substantial differences between them, all indigenous populations share a common problem: the defence of their rights. After centuries of abuses, genocides, colonisations and "exports of civilisation", the international community has recognised the need to put in place special measures to protect the rights of the world's indigenous peoples. In 2007, the UN adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the most comprehensive instrument on the rights of such populations ever adopted, which gives collective rights an unprecedented prominence in the field of international human rights law.

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September 2007. The 2017 edition of the day was dedicated precisely to this anniversary, which represents a landmark in the respect of native populations. The document enshrines the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions, as well as the right to pursue the form of development best suited to their needs and aspirations. The Declaration guarantees (at least on paper) indigenous peoples the right to education, health, work and language; indigenous populations also enjoy the right to self-determination. Over the past ten years, the Declaration has helped achieve some important successes, but despite these gains, the gap between the formal recognition of indigenous peoples and the effective implementation of adequate policies remains stark.

The 2019 edition is dedicated to indigenous languages

The United Nations declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages, so this year's edition of the international day is also dedicated to the goal of preserving them, by protecting the rights and wellbeing of those who are able to keep them alive. At the heart of the uniqueness of the world's five thousand indigenous peoples are their languages, which define the social and cultural identity of these communities and allow them to pass on customs, knowledge and their history. Of the 6,700 languages spoken in the world, the vast majority are indigenous. A language becomes extinct every two weeks, and with the growing number of people who speak dominant ones — such as English, Chinese and Spanish — at the expense of less widely known languages, it is estimated that between 50 and 90 per cent of the world's languages could disappear by the end of this century. We are witnessing an inexorable loss of the cultural heritage of native populations, and all that remains is to act in an attempt to save it.

Indigenous populations also migrate

The 2018 edition was instead dedicated to the migrations and displacements that indigenous populations are forced to face. Due to the loss of their lands and natural resources, all too often swallowed up by "development," many indigenous populations are compelled to migrate to urban areas in search of better prospects for life, education and employment. These people sometimes have to abandon their territories also because of conflicts, persecution of ethnic minorities and the impacts of climate change. In most cases, according to the UN, indigenous populations who migrate find better work opportunities and improve their economic situation; however, they move away from their roots, compromising the perpetuation of ancient cultures. The aim of the day is precisely to analyse the underlying causes of migration and assess solutions to revitalise the identities of indigenous populations and promote respect for their rights both within and outside their traditional territories.

Giving voice to indigenous peoples

The need to include representatives of indigenous peoples at all levels of the decision-making process is by now clear. The first "indigenous" person elected to attend a United Nations meeting was, in 1989, Ted Moses, Grand Chief of the Cree Nation, a native tribe of Canada, who denounced the effects of racial discrimination on the economic and social condition of his people. Despite appearances, the rights of indigenous peoples are trampled with systematic regularity, as in Brazil in connection with the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex, approved without consulting local communities. Indigenous populations also hold fundamental secrets, such as knowledge of medicinal plants, and are still able to hear the language of nature, which we have stopped listening to — one more reason to preserve these cultures.