SOS Bushmen

Three decades of worldwide effort by Indigenous Peoples resulted in an historic victory in the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007, when that body adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by an overwhelming majority. The Declaration affirms the collective human rights of Indigenous Peoples across a broad range of areas including self-determination, spirituality, land rights, and rights to intellectual property.

National Congress of Americans Indians (NCAI) President Joe A. Garcia applauded the action saying, "this historic vote was more than 30 years in the making and is the result of many long, and at times difficult, years of negotiations between Indigenous Peoples and states. The passage of the Declaration today acknowledges the individual and collective human rights of the world's Indigenous Peoples. It gives hope that the dark days of colonization and forced assimilation are behind us."

The vote was 143 in favor, 4 opposed, and 11 abstaining. The United States (U.S.) was one of the countries who voted against the Declaration. Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of whom present themselves as staunch defenders of human rights, also voted against the Declaration.

Garcia expressed disappointment that the U.S. did not join in this important affirmation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples world-wide saying, "I am disappointed that the United States did not step forward today to be a leader in the international movement to affirm the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The self-governance, cultural, and spiritual rights of Native Americans are recognized in hundreds of treaties between tribes and the federal government, the U.S. Constitution, and countless federal laws. The document passed today reinforces those rights and I believe the United States will come to see the wisdom of the Declaration in time."

NCAI, and its attorneys, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), were actively involved in the process of elaborating the Declaration since 1999. Being the product of a political process, many compromises to the Declaration were made along the way. "Despite the compromises made by many along the way, the Declaration is an important and historic step forward in recognizing our rights," Garcia said. "I thank the states for their votes today and look forward to working together to ensure that the promise of this Declaration is fully realized by the world's Indigenous Peoples."