Introduction: Advancing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Through Peacebuilding

Abstract

This chapter introduces the background and contemporary contexts for this book on peacebuilding and the experiences of Indigenous Peoples as they pursue their rights in the early decades of the 21st century. The trends of this century are being shaped by the 2007 pronouncement of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly of the United Nations. I review this declaration in the context of the earlier Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and how Indigenous Peoples worldwide were neglected in the international adoption of the human rights agenda. The chapter examines the implications of this neglect and subsequent international developments, including the Cold War and the modern drive towards economic development and exploitation of Indigenous People, their lands and resources. The discussion reviews recent policies towards intercultural dialogue and the possibilities of this process towards advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The analysis locates key themes of the chapters of the book and their significance as cases of Indigenous People pursuing their rights within the possibilities of local and international principles and frameworks.

Adj. Prof. John P. Synott, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney, Australia; Email: john.synott@gmail.com. He is the author of several books including Quality Education (2009), Global and International Studies (2008) and Teacher Unions, Social Movements and the Politics of Education in East Asia (2002) as well as many chapters and articles in the areas of peace education, development , globalisation and Indigenous Peoples. He was a convenor of the IPRA Commission for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from 1996 to 2015.