Indigenous Peoples and International Institutions

Abstract

To set the scene for Indigenous Peoples’ diplomacies at the UN, this chapter outlines how Indigenous Peoples have been considered in the field of International Relations and illustrate a gap in International Relations regarding Indigenous Peoples’ diplomacies as practices of self-determination. It highlights the obstacles Indigenous Peoples experience within the UN system: the implementation gap between what United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides for them, and the contrary institutional rules which govern their participation. The chapter uses United Nations, Framework Convention on Climate Change as a case to illustrate more closely some key features of Indigenous Peoples’ diplomacies at the UN to overcome these issues. It compiles important experiences and insights regarding Indigenous assertions of right to self-determination within international institutions. The chapter also aims to highlight Indigenous Peoples’ reflections on their own work and lessons learnt in these international arenas and to consider the future of Indigenous Peoples’ international relations.