International Day of the World's Indigenous People

By resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994, the General Assembly of United Nations decided to celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on 9 August every year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is commemorated each year on 9 August in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his message to mark the Day, said «Recently, the international community has grown increasingly aware of the need to support indigenous people - by establishing and promoting international standards; vigilantly upholding respect for their human rights; integrating the international development agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals, in policies, programmes and country-level projects; and reinforcing indigenous peoples’ special stewardship on issues related to the environment and climate change» .