KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!
Your Rights as Indigenous Peoples
According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Every Indigenous person and community has rights enshrined in international law. These rights are not privileges — they are protected under UNDRIP, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007.
1. The Right to Land, Territories & Resources
UNDRIP Article 26
“Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.”
You have the right to own, use, control, and protect your ancestral land and sacred sites.
2. The Right to Culture, Language & Heritage
UNDRIP Article 11 & 13
“Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs.”
“Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies...”
You have the right to preserve and pass on your traditions, language, and cultural knowledge.
3. The Right to Spiritual & Religious Freedom
UNDRIP Article 12
“Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies.”
You have the right to access and use sacred herbs, ceremonies, sites, and rituals without interference.
4. The Right to Self-Determination
UNDRIP Article 3
“Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”
You have the right to govern your own lives, communities, and institutions.
5. The Right to Free, Prior & Informed Consent (FPIC)
UNDRIP Article 19
“States shall consult and cooperate in good faith... to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.”
Nothing about you — without you. You must be consulted before any project or law affects your land or people.
6. The Right to Equality & Non-Discrimination
UNDRIP Article 2
“Indigenous peoples... are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination.”
You have the right to live with dignity, free from racism or marginalization.
7. The Right to Traditional Knowledge, Medicine & Practices
UNDRIP Article 24
“Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals.”
You have the right to use, protect, and pass on your herbal medicine, sacred plants, and ancestral healing systems.
8. The Right to Education That Respects Culture
UNDRIP Article 14
“Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.”
You have the right to learn and teach in ways that honor your culture, history, and language.
9. The Right to Economic Development & Livelihoods
UNDRIP Article 20
“Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development...”
You have the right to engage in farming, trade, and livelihoods that reflect your values and traditions.
10. The Right to Peace, Security & Protection
UNDRIP Article 7
“Indigenous individuals have the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person.”
You have the right to live safely, free from police brutality, violence, or forced displacement.
11. The Right to International Solidarity
UNDRIP Article 36
“Indigenous peoples... have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation... for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes.”
You have the right to connect with Indigenous peoples globally and stand in unity beyond borders.
These rights are backed by international law.
Governments have a responsibility to uphold them. We are here to make sure they do.
📥 Download our free guide: "Your Rights Under UNDRIP"
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✊🏾 Know your rights. Defend your dignity.
