Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Igorot), UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, points out that despite the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, few governments have adopted national laws that reflect their commitments. Indigenous rights to land continue to be disrespected, and the right to self-determination is violated. She calls for a serious effort to address the reasons why the UN Declaration is not effectively implemented. According to Victoria the key obstacles are: the rights of Indigenous peoples are not prioritized, the historical injustices that have been happening to Indigenous Peoples have not been redressed and governments need to recognize the contributions of Indigenous Peoples in protecting the environment and making this world a more sustainable place. Photo credit: Broddi Sigurdarson
