The United Nations Declaration on the
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- 1.2. Indigenous peoples
- 1.3. Public officials
- 2. Education and training
- 2.2. Indigenous peoples
- 2.3. Public officials
1. Raising public awarenessRaising public awareness of a human rights issue can foster community-wide attitudinal change. In turn, this can positively influence decision-making and law reform. 1.1. The broader populationIn many instances, indigenous peoples form a minority of a State’s population and are often geographically isolated. As a result, it is not uncommon for the human rights issues confronting indigenous peoples to remain hidden from the broader population, including: Discrimination Dispossession from land and territory Denial of culture Poverty Substance abuse Violence. Furthermore, the broader population that lives in indigenous areas or close to indigenous communities can at times express opposition to indigenous peoples’ claims and rights. It is important that awareness raising activities be specifically targeted when these situations exist. Compounding possible ignorance, public perceptions of indigenous peoples are often influenced by negative stereotypes, particularly in the media. These stereotypes and images can serve to legitimize public opinions about indigenous peoples that are racially discriminatory. Articles 15 and 16 of the Declaration directly target this issue. The protection, promotion and realization of indigenous peoples’ human rights cannot be achieved without confronting negative stereotypes and public ignorance. NHRIs can play a pivotal role in raising awareness and providing the historical context to the contemporary human rights challenges facing indigenous peoples. A public awareness campaign is an effective mechanism to engage the broader community on these issues.
1.2. Indigenous peoplesBeing aware of human rights standards, understanding how to exercise them and knowing how to seek redress for violations are fundamental preconditions for indigenous peoples to realize their human rights. Given indigenous peoples have been historically marginalized from mainstream society, it is not surprising that, in many instances, they are marginalized from public information networks and mechanisms promoting human rights. NHRIs can develop and run targeted awareness raising campaigns for indigenous peoples. However, it is important that awareness raising activities are not confined to urban areas; they must also reach indigenous communities in rural and remote locations. As noted in Chapter 6, it is also important that indigenous peoples are aware of the existence and functions of the NHRI.
1.3. Public officialsNHRIs can play a critical role in raising awareness of the Declaration and its content among public officials. Activities such as disseminating the Declaration to public officials should be broad and not confined those working in indigenous affairs departments. For example, public officials who are employed in environmental or land demarcation agencies need to be aware of indigenous peoples’ human rights. 2. Education and trainingThe mandate of NHRIs extends beyond promotional activities to include developing and delivering human rights education and training programmes for different groups in the community. 2.1. The broader populationEducational activities on indigenous peoples’ human rights that target the broader population can help counter ignorance and empower the community to address difficult challenges from an informed perspective.
2.2. Indigenous peoplesNHRIs are uniquely placed to assist States in meeting their obligations under article 39 of the Declaration by providing technical assistance to indigenous peoples about the exercise of the rights contained in the Declaration. Education campaigns can build off promotional activities. Amnesty International has noted that “a population which is educated in their human rights is an asset to assist NHRIs carry out their task”.192 Human rights education that is delivered through adapted training methods can empower indigenous peoples to exercise their rights and bring about social change.
2.3. Public officialsPublic officials are pivotal players in ensuring that a State complies with its international human rights obligations, such as the Declaration. For this reason, providing training and professional development programmes for public officials on indigenous peoples and their human rights is a necessary element to achieving the ends of the Declaration. All public officials with roles that impact either directly or indirectly on the realization of indigenous peoples’ human rights should receive training and professional development. This includes officials working in government departments with specific mandates concerning indigenous peoples’ issues, as well as officials working in other government departments which inevitably impact on the land and cultural rights of indigenous peoples, such as officers in environmental and forestry departments, territorial and land management departments and cultural affairs departments. All public officials whose work impacts on the realization of indigenous peoples’ human rights should undertake: General human rights training Targeted training specifically related to indigenous peoples’ human rights. NHRIs can undertake a number of strategies in this regard. This work should be done in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
In the first instance, NHRIs can advocate, develop and implement training programmes for public officials whose works impacts on indigenous peoples. This advocacy should seek the integration of human rights principles and standards into any indigenous-related training programmes that are currently being provided to public officials. Where there is an absence of training materials for public officials focused on working with indigenous peoples, NHRIs can seek to develop materials that incorporate a human rights-based approach and the standards contained in the Declaration.
NHRIs should be aware that their training programmes may be perceived by public officials as an outside interference in their work and provided without the necessary context or background. To combat potential resistance, NHRIs will benefit from engaging with the leadership of State institutions. Receiving endorsement and support for training programmes from an organization’s hierarchy will provide the necessary legitimacy to encourage behavioural change within the organization. This high-level buy-in is also necessary because if the leadership of the State institution is not genuine about protecting, promoting and realizing indigenous peoples’ human rights, it is unlikely that training will be supported or effective. It is important that NHRIs are strategic in the design and delivery of training programmes. In developing, revising or delivering training products, NHRIs should ensure that their materials are focused on practical, operational issues. In instances where a training programme is likely to receive a high level of resistance, it might be preferable for the NHRI to develop the content for the training programme and allow it to be internally delivered.196 Alternatively, it might be preferable for the NHRI to develop train-the-trainer materials and programmes, which can also be effective in stretching limited financial and human resources.
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