State of the Nations

State of the Nations

United Nations Reports on the Situation of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Worldwide

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, released their report “State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” in January. The report addresses the conditions under which the indigenous populations live. The document began by stating that Indigenous people are custodians of some of the most biologically diverse territories in the world, as well as responsible for a great deal of the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity; that their traditional knowledge has been and continues to be an invaluable resource that benefits all of mankind.

“Yet” the report states, “Indigenous people continue to suffer discrimination, marginalization, extreme poverty and conflict.” This statement surely comes as no surprise for people living that life on an everyday basis. What may be more difficult to relate to is the statement that increasingly governments are recognizing these problems, and matching these recognitions with action, from land claim settlements and constitutional amendments to symbolic actions such as apologies for past treatment of Indigenous peoples, and that governments around the world are taking important steps towards addressing the concerns of First Nations.

But what kind of apology can possible make up for the reality of today?

The report clearly shows what probably very few people were surprised to find, that while the United States ranks as number seven in a global ranking when it comes to standard of living, education and health, the situation for members of the First Nations in the United States and Alaska were completely different. Here the United States, Alaska falls to number 30, while Canada takes its place as number 32.

The report mentioned that an evaluation of the 2000 census and a study  from Harvard in 2005 showed that socio-economic conditions for Native Americans had improved between 1990 and 2000. The authors of the Harvard study stressed that the most important factor for this was self-determination, which allowed the tribes to break away from the overall pattern of intractable poverty.

Even so, the fact remains that while “only” 12.5% of the U.S. non-native population live under the poverty line, nearly 25% of the indigenous population lives under the poverty line.

To the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the reason for this is one in particular, and that is the lack of opportunity for education, which affects both the possibility to find employment and as a result, economic opportunities.

The report states that not only is poverty alarmingly more frequent among the native population, but so are also diseases such as tuberculosis and diabetes, which results in a much higher death rate among Native Americans, together with other factors that without a doubt also must be seen as a result of poverty and unemployment: alcoholism, car crashes, homicide, suicide and “unintentional injuries.”

The report mentions the situation of Native American women and their particular vulnerability when it comes to violence and sexual violence, such as rape. It cites a report made by Amnesty International during 2005 - 2006, when the human rights organization interviewed U.S. & Alaskan Native American organizations and individuals about the failure to protect native women against this kind of violence. Even so, one only touches this problem briefly, and in very general terms. As is the case in many societies: violence against women somehow drowns in the overall problem.

The report brings up many important aspects of the everyday life of Indigenous Peoples all over the world. But is it the STRONG message to the United States about the situation of Native Americans as an article by Amnesty International suggests? It is without a doubt a message that President Obama should listen to, but the U.S. Administration has never made a point of listening to the United Nations before, and if this winter’s, and many winters before, hardship at Pine Ridge and other places inhabited by First Nations hasn´t been a strong enough message that the change President Obama has been talking about needs to come now, then there is no reason to think that this report will make any difference.

                                                                           ~ Camilla Johansson