International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples today
Summary
Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, highlighting the rights, cultures and ongoing struggles of Indigenous communities worldwide. Indigenous Peoples make up less than 6 percent of the global population but represent at least 15 percent of the world’s poorest people.
Key Points
- International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is marked on August 9 each year.
- Indigenous Peoples number around 476 million across 90 countries and speak most of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages.
- They remain among the most disadvantaged groups globally, facing long-standing challenges over identity, land rights and natural resources.
- The day commemorates the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.
