Report of the Regional Conference on the Role of the National Institutions on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

National Institutions on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples such as the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes of India and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples of Philippines are mandated to play a critical role for ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples. Yet, these institutions are not uniform nor do they have any basic guidelines. There are academic institutions like the National Foundation for the Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) or Ministries like the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry of Bangladesh and governmental departments like the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas of Vietnam. 

In the last two years, AITPN has conducted comprehensive studies both on the National Institutions and the governmental departments/committees dealing with indigenous peoples in Asia. It is clear that the governmental departments/committees are highly inadequate and they continue to follow the assimilationist apporach towards indigenous peoples.

The findings of these studies were released at the Regional Conference on the Role of National Institutions on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples held in New Delhi on 18-19 October 2008. The Regional Conference also adopted the New Delhi Guidelines on the establishment of National Institutions on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Regional Conference was among others addressed by the following dignitaries:

Studies on the National Institutions on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Studies on the governmental departments on indigenous peoples