Picture by @Tianyake

UNPO will be present in Amsterdam at a demonstration organized by Indigenous Movement and Survival International, joined by several other NGOs and indigenous representatives. The demonstration will raise awareness about the abuse of indigenous rights currently taking place: land grabbing, cultural assimilation, denial of basic human rights, lack of representation at local and national levels, and so on. For more information on the event, please click here.

The demonstration will be taking place on the Dam Square, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 1 to 4pm today (Friday 9 August 2013). Join the celebration and witness Aztec dancing and speak to different groups representing their people through dance and music!

Across the world, other initiatives will be taking place. In New York, the United Nations is organizing a series of events which will be streamed live. Hundreds of indigenous and non-indigenous rowers are expected to arrive in Manhattan after traveling hundreds of kilometers. They will be honoring the “Two Row Wampun Treaty”, the first treaty to be signed between the Dutch immigrants to New York and the Haudensosaunee, the indigenous inhabitants at the time.

Because 2013’s theme is “Honoring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements”, the NGOs Cultural Survival and First Peoples Worldwide, joined by the #Proud2BeIndigenous platform, have dedicated this day to raising awareness about Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), enshrined in the ILO’s Convention nº169. They are using their Facebook page to gather stories relating to FPIC from around the world. To follow the discussion on Twitter, use the hashtags #FPIC and #P2BI.

Even Google has launched a campaign for World Indigenous Day, calling for all indigenous peoples to map their geographic, cultural and economic features on Google Maps, allowing for more visibility and raising awareness as to their presence and actions in different countries.

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization is particularly dedicated to advancing the rights of indigenous peoples across the world. The organization represents several indigenous populations (in addition to unrecognized territories and nations), such as the Mapuche in Chile, the Rehoboth Basters in Namibia, the Degar-Montagnards in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, the Batwa in Rwanda, the Assyrians in Iraq, the Ahwazi in Iran, the Khmer Krom in Southern Vietnam, and the Vhavenda in South Africa. UNPO furthermore embarked on a three-year project, supported by the Nando Peretti Foundation, entitled ‘Earth, Exploitation and Survival’. The project focuses on five different indigenous groups in different parts of the world, and aims at empowering these communities through language, culture and environment.

Celebrate World Indigenous Day with us and many others, and spread the word about the many initiatives that aim at empowering these vulnerable communities!