Workers of the world unite

There are more than 370 million self-identified indigenous peoples in over 70 countries around the world. There are more than 400 groups in Latin America alone, each with a distinct language and culture. 

 It is estimated that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 oral languages in the world today. A great majority of these languages are spoken by indigenous peoples, and many (if not most) of them are in danger of becoming extinct. One indigenous language dies every two weeks.

Traditional indigenous lands and territories contain some 80 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity.

Worldwide, indigenous peoples account for 5 per cent of the population but represent 15 per cent of those living in poverty. One of the root causes of poverty and marginalization of indigenous peoples is loss of control over their traditional lands, territories and natural resources.

Too often, they pay a price for being different and face discrimination. Indigenous peoples who have in-depth and locally rooted knowledge of the natural world , have been increasingly dispossessed of their lands, territories, and resources and have lost control over their own way of life.