Climate Change, International Law, International Relations , Latin America & the Caribbean Watch Now: Decolonize the Future: Defending Indigenous Rights and Lands

October 14, 2022
By Perry World House

Indigenous Peoples across the Americas have faced more than five centuries of colonial occupation and exploitation. The struggle for Indigenous rights – especially Indigenous land rights – continues to this day. Indigenous and community lands cover more than fifty percent of the world’s surface, but just five percent of these lands are actually legally owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Despite many challenges, the Maya People have made significant progress on land rights in recent years, winning legal victories in Belize and forging progress within the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Their successes and setbacks have global implications for human rights, justice, and climate change: when Indigenous communities have secure land rights, they experience greater prosperity, and their territories have lower rates of deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as improved biodiversity protection.

In this edition of "The World Today" to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day, Perry World House welcomed three Maya activists from Belize - Cristina Coc, Pablo Mis, and Filiberto Penados - to discuss the history of Indigenous land rights, ongoing negotiations, and the global significance of the Maya struggle to defend their lands and secure their future.

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