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Rights to their traditional lands and resources are essential to the survival of indigenous peoples. This book analyzes the substance and procedure of the most advanced system of safeguarding these rights, developed in the Inter-American system of human rights protection.
The Guide to Indigenous Peoples' Rights in the Inter-American Human Rights System is one of an IWGIA's handbook series and aims to provide indigenous peoples and organizations with practical information to support their effective use of Inter-American human rights mechanisms and procedures for the vindication of their rights. While these procedures are far from perfect and certainly will not remedy all human rights problems, their use by indigenous peoples has led to concrete gains at the national and local levels in the past and can be expected to continue to do so in the future. Their use also further reinforces and develops indigenous rights norms at the international level, which provides additional strength to local and national advocacy and reform efforts. The guide sets out in detail how the Inter-American human rights system works. It summaries what rights are protected, with a focus on those of particular importance to indigenous peoples. It also provides detailed guidance on how to submit petitions to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Summaries of relevant cases and judgments that have already passed through the system or ones that are in progress are also included. These cases and judgments show how the system deals with indigenous rights and provide concrete examples of how a case can be moved through the system, a illustrating some of the points made in the section on how to submit a petition. Finally, the last chapter of the book deals with the Proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Throughout the text, links are made to web sites containing relevant documents and the full text of cases or reports discussed.
This book highlights the cogency and urgency of the protection of indigenous peoples and discusses crucial aspects of the international legal theory and practice relating to their rights. These rights are not established by states; rather, they are inherent to indigenous peoples because of their human dignity, historical continuity, cultural distinctiveness, and connection to the lands where they have lived from time immemorial. In the past decades, a new awareness of the importance of indigenous rights has emerged at the international level. UN organs have adopted specific international law instruments that protect indigenous peoples. Nonetheless, concerns persist because of continued widespread breaches of such rights. Stemming from a number of seminars organised at the Law Department of the University of Roma Tre, the volume includes contributions by distinguished scholars and practitioners. It is divided into three parts. Part I introduces the main themes and challenges to be addressed, considering the debate on self-determination of indigenous peoples and the theoretical origins of ‘indigenous sovereignty’. Parts II and III explore the protection of indigenous peoples afforded under the international law rules on human rights and investments respectively. Not only do the contributors to this book critically assess the current international legal framework, but they also suggest ways and methods to utilize such legal instruments towards the protection, promotion and fulfi lment of indigenous peoples’ rights, to contribute to the maintenance of peace and the pursuit of justice in international relations.
Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - Topic: Public International Law and Human Rights, grade: 1,7, , language: English, abstract: How can indigenous property rights be guaranteed in today’s societies? In many countries with a large indigenous population this is an ongoing political struggle at the center of which stands the question how to balance traditional indigenous land rights and modern private property rights. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was initially not signed by Canada, USA, New Zealand and Australia. The countries argued inter alia that the article on indigenous land rights could not be brought in accord with their domestic legislation and the private property rights they have to protect. In international law no common standard for indigenous land rights exists and individual countries have found different approaches in their domestic legislations often subordinating indigenous rights or restricting them on various grounds. Frequently, indigenous collective claims are weakened because legislation only recognizes individual rights to property as legitimate. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) has evolved a firm protector of indigenous land rights. In its landmark decisions Mayagna (Sumo) Awas Tingni Community vs. Nicaragua (2001), Moiwana Community vs. Suriname (2005), Yakye Axa vs. Paraguay (2005), Sawhoyamaxa vs. Paraguay (2006) and Pueblo Saramaka vs. Suriname (2007) it has underlined that traditional collective land rights fall under the protection of property in the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) and are thus equivalent to individual private property rights. This paper will look at the role of the IACtHR in the protection of indigenous land rights in Latin America and will discuss how it confronts the balancing problem between the two forms of property rights. Thereby, it is argued that especially because the challenge stays unresolved in many Latin American countries, the implementation of the progressive decisions of the IACtHR is frequently delayed.
This book, which can be used as a text for teaching purposes, gives a fascinating, and authoritative treatment both the rights protected by the Inter-American system and of the way in which its institutions work. An important part of the book is a thorough, article by article account of the guarantee in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and in the American Convention on Human Rights of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in the light of the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and of the Commission's many country reports on the human rights situation in particular states. There are also chapters on the rights of indigenous peoples, amnesty laws and states of emergencies. The evolution and current methods of work of the Commission and the Court are set out at length and their achievements are critically assessed. The role of non-governmental organisations is also examined in this context. The book will be invaluable to all those interested in the protection of human rights in the Americas and international human rights law generally.
Human rights and the environment are inherently linked. This connection is even stronger in cases of indigenous peoples rights, the close ties they have with the land is the fundamental basis of their cultural, spiritual, and material life. Although inherent, this link between human rights and the environment is not commonly reflected in the relevant conventions of different regional human rights systems. In turn, they do not provide for any special protection to indigenous peoples. However, jurisprudential developments evidence a clear trend towards the recognition of the said relationship. Arguably, the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights is coming to take a leading role in this evolving process. Moreover, its jurisprudence has become an important referent regarding the rights of indigenous peoples and environmental protection. This paper explores the issue of indigenous peoples rights and the environment at the global level. Then, it analyses the main jurisprudential developments regarding human rights and environmental protection at the regional level, with particular emphasis on the indigenous jurisprudence of the Inter-American System.