International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples 2019 – Jay Griffith rightly once said that ” If people cant acknowledge the wisdom of Indigenous cultures, then that’s their loss. Well, if simply put, these people are the bearers of cultures and religions that are distinct from the dominant societies but unfortunately these communities face violation of their rights and protection, thus to raise awareness regarding their rights and protection, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 annually. The Theme for International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples 2019 is Indigenous Languages. Also know about Date, Theme, History and Activities from the sections below.
International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples 2019
Ancestral Languages and Cultures should be considered the gems of the society because they are vintage and lend us information about the customs that humankind adopted long time ago. It has been reported that population of Indigenous Peoples has been lessening day by day, thus it is very important for the govt and the citizens to make sure that the cultural treasure is not lost. August 9 celebrates the importance of these World’s Indigenous Peoples, make your best bet for the betterment of the society as a whole.
Date of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples
The Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on the August 9 by the UN every year, the date for which is not changeable. However, the inception of the day dates back to the year 1982 when the first meeting of UN working group took place in Geneva. The day is often celebrated at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
Theme of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples 2019
The theme of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples is “Indigenous Languages” so as to preserve the languages spoken by the various Indigenous People. According to the UN, when we loose a language, we also loose variety of knowledge about our planet, the climate and its cultural importance. In 2016, a report stated that about 6,700 indigenous languages were on the verge of disappearing, hence the year 2019 has also been marked as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
What is International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019?
Language is one of the most vital element of any culture or any religion because it helps one to communicate with the world about one’s respective culture and history. It is stated that there are about 370 million Indigenous people in the world and about 2680 Indigenous languages that are in danger. Hence, it is our responsibility to preserve and protect the Indigenous languages to help in the growth and development of the nation. Hence, UN declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019 Significance
The basic aim of the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019 is to work in these 5 action areas listed below.
- Increasing Understanding and Request for International Cooperation.
- Increasing of Knowledge about Indigenous Languages.
- Promoting Integration of Indigenous Languages in the standard settings.
- Growth and Development about New Knowledge.
- Capacity Building Empowerment
International Day of the Indigenous Languages Peoples Activities
When people fight for the rights in unity, there is always hope for change and in this case we are all against the loss of the precious treasures of our history in the form of Indigenous languages. Government in collaboration with the United Nations of course will do their bit, but you can also play a crucial role to bring up a positive change in the condition of Indigenous languages.
# Provide access of education to Indigenous groups
Most of the Indigenous community, live in poor conditions and thus many of them are completely unaware of their rights. Hence, it is very important that they should know about the measures and their fundamental rights which is why education is very important. You can teach them or sponsor any of the kid’s education if possible for you.
# Promote on social media platforms
Social Media is quite a strong tool when it comes to spreading information about something important.So, use it to make people aware about the Indigenous languages and groups in your area. Let people know about the importance through posts and images.
# Promote ethical behavior with Indigenous groups
Many dominant cultures do not respect the indigenous groups, you can make your bit by sharing how sensitization is important and why should we become ethical towards the minorities. You can organize a show or play to teach people about the same.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples History
The origin of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples History dates back to the year 1982, when the very meeting of the UN working group on the Indigenous Populations of the Sub Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. But it was only on December 23, 1994, that August 9 was designated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The main aim of proclaiming such a day was to encourage the nations to have a better understanding of World’s Indigenous Peoples and their importance. Every year, the observance of the day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples take place at different venue where in current situation is discussed. The members of these discussions include UN agencies, Relevant Stakeholders, Member States, Indigenous Peoples.
Symbol of Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues
The official material for promoting Indigenous Issues has been designed by Rebang Dewan, a boy beloging to the indigenous group in Bangladesh called as Chakma. The symbol includes planet earth connected by leaves from both the sides and in the between the globe, a handshake is shown to convey unification.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2020
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2020 will be celebrated on the August 9th, 2020 which is a Sunday. The theme of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples has not been designated yet and will be decided later on. Members of the United Nations, Indigenous Groups and many other officials from different nations will come together to discuss about future endeavors.
