International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
August 9
August 9th is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This day is celebrated around the world and marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982. Indigenous Peoples are holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. There are over 476 million Indigenous Peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2% of the global population.
More than 70 per cent of the world’s population is living in countries with rising income and wealth inequality, including Indigenous Peoples who already face high rates of poverty and acute socio-economic disadvantages. High levels of inequality are generally associated with institutional instability, corruption, financial crises, increased crime and lack of access to justice, education and health services. For Indigenous Peoples, poverty and gross inequities tend to generate intense social tensions and conflicts.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is a non-statutory holiday.
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