Introduction

This book is about the rights of indigenous peoples and explores the role of different actors in shaping these rights and the many challenges of implementation. The analysis includes a broad range of existing and emerging rights, but focuses principally on the rights framework established by the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007 by the UN General Assembly. It took more than 20 years to adopt that Declaration, from initial drafts to final state approval; this includes a post-script issued by the four states—the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia—that initially voted against the UNDRIP and then issued statements in support of the standard. In September 2014 states reaffirmed their commitment to the UNDRIP at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The outcome document of that World Conference is considered an operational tool for supporting the realization of the UNDRIP’s provisions in the years ahead.