New Zealand has finally approved the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples after opposing the document for over three years.

This declaration, passed in 2007 by the UN General Assembly, acknowledges the right for indigenous peoples and tribes to choose their own future, preserve their identity, and be consulted upon any project that might affect them in one way or another. Only four countries had refused to sign the declaration at the time: Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.

After Australia, now’s the turn for New Zealand to reverse its position. New Zealand Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples announced this decision (which Survival referred to as historical) during a press conference within the ninth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues , taking place in New York as we speak (April 19 to 30).

Like a large number of indigenous communities throughout the world, the Maori often face more difficulties than their non-indigenous counterparts: a much lower life expectancy, a serious increase of the cancer death rate… The support of NZ to the Declaration stands as an achievement, although the Prime Minister referred to the document as only “aspirational” and clearly stated it will only hold “within the current legal and constitutional frameworks of New Zealand”.

So far Canada and USA are the two only countries which haven’t approved the Declaration. However, President Barak Obama could be reconsidering the US position, while the Governor General of Canada declared his intention to support the Declaration in the future.

Nevertheless, this document represents a significant step in the acknowledging the rights of the indigenous peoples, it bears no power of constraint. And that is precisely why Survival has set up an actual campaign for all countries to adopt the International Labour Organization Convention n°169: according to the ILO, this convention is the only binding international law for tribal peoples. Only 20 countries have ratified it so far…

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