Introduction

 

1. In the thirty-year history of indigenous issues at the United Nations, and the longer history in the ILO on this question, considerable thinking and debate have been devoted to the question of definition of “indigenous peoples”, but no such definition has ever been adopted by any UN-system body. One of the most cited descriptions of the concept of the indigenous was given by Jose R. Martinez Cobo, the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, in his famous Study on the Problem of Discrimination against Indigenous Populations.  Significant discussions on the subject have been held within the context of the preparation of a Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples  by the Working Group on Indigenous Populations since 1982. An understanding of the concept of “indigenous and tribal peoples” is contained in article 1 of the 1989 Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, No. 169, adopted by  the International Labour Organization.













Indigenous Peoples (World Bank definition) 

​

​

The term Indigenous Peoples (also often referred to as "indigenous ethnic minorities," "tribal groups" and "scheduled tribes") describes "social groups with a social and cultural identity distinct from the dominant society which makes them vulnerable to being disadvantaged in the development process." Key characteristics identifying Indigenous Peoples:

a close attachment to ancestral territories and their natural resources;
self-identification and identification by others as members of a distinct cultural group;
an indigenous language, often different from the national language;
presence of customary social and political institutions; and
primarily subsistence-oriented production.



 

​