On Monday 19 December, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution that commits states to protect the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples.
The document, presented by Bolivia and prepared by this country in collaboration with Ecuador, is the first official recognition of the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination of their ways of life and traditions.
The resolution is called Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, was presented with the support of 47 countries and was approved by consensus. It is worth noting that, in the same resolution, it is agreed to always use capital letters in UN documents when referring to Indigenous Peoples.
The adoption of this resolution is one of the first actions that commit States within the framework of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Languages, also proclaimed by the UN on 16 December, which aims to guarantee the right of indigenous peoples to preserve, revitalise and promote their languages, as well as to integrate linguistic diversity and multilingualism into sustainable development efforts.
