International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs

Description

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, IWGIA, is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

It was founded in 1968 by anthropologists alarmed by violence against Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon, and its secretariat is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It works to protect the collective and individual rights of Indigenous Peoples, including their right to self-determination, and designs and implements projects with partner organisations to connect local, regional and international demands. It obtained Observer NGO status at the United Nations in 1989 and holds consultative or observer status with the UN Economic and Social Council, the International Labour Organization, UNESCO, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Arctic Council, the Green Climate Fund and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Since 1986 it has published The Indigenous World, an annual yearbook on developments in Indigenous Peoples’ rights, alongside books, research reports, briefing papers and manuals. It is an active member of European networks and coalitions working on indigenous and land rights issues.

Its work is organised around thematic programmes covering climate, land rights, human rights defenders at risk, and global governance.