PALO, Leyte - The world celebrated the International Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) day on August 9, 2022.

The celebration started on 23 December 1994, when the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

In this celebration, people from around the world are encouraged to spread the UN’s message on the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples. The aim of the celebration is to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. It recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.

This year’s celebration carries the theme, “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.

Globally, 47% of all indigenous peoples in employment have no education, compared to 17% of their non-indigenous counterparts. This gap is even wider for women.

Moreover, 86% of indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy, compared to 66% for their non-indigenous counterparts. They are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty compared to their non-indigenous counterparts.

These data also predispose the vulnerable IPs to food insecurity and hunger which subsequently causes malnutrition among them including their children.

In an International Labor Organization (ILO) and Indigenous Navigator’s report, it is observed that indigenous peoples face significant obstacles in performing their traditional occupations and accessing decent work opportunities, education, and social protection, a situation that is being aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this year’s celebration, another important milestone to advocate for indigenous cultures is the declaration of “Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 – 2032).”

The Philippines is a culturally diverse country with an estimated 14- 17 million Indigenous Peoples (IPs) belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups. They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon (Cordillera Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups in the Visayas area.

Furthermore, the IP communities in the country remain among the poorest and most disadvantaged peoples. Some reasons can be gleaned to have retained their traditional pre-colonial culture and practices. They were subjected to discrimination and few opportunities for major economic activities, education, or political participation including health and nutrition services.

The Philippine Constitution, in recognition of this diversity and under the framework of national unity and development, mandates state recognition, protection, promotion, and fulfillment of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Hence, Republic Act 8371 also known as the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act” (1997, IPRA) was enacted. The law recognizes the right of IPs to manage their ancestral domains and it has become the cornerstone of current national policy on IPs.

It is hope that the country’s IP be mainstreamed and prioritized their participation in the socio-economic-political dimensions including access to quality health and nutrition services. #RNPC-CPD