World Tribal Day
Source : Indian Express
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies; GS III: Indian Economy

What is discussed under World Tribal Day?

1. Who are indigenous people?
2. History of World Tribal Day
3. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022
4. Status of tribes in India

Why in News?

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 or World tribal day is celebrated on 9 August to raise awareness about the protection of the rights of the world’s indigenous population.

Who are Indigenous People?

• • They are the peoples who inherit and practice unique cultures and methods of people related to the environment.
  • Their social, cultural, economic, and political features are different from dominant societies in which they live. 
  • According to the UN reports, more than 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world and accounting for 6.2% of the global population.

Issues Facing by Indigenous People

• • Problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples as the rights have always been violated.
  • According to the UN, 47% of all indigenous peoples in employment worldwide have no education as compared to 17% of their non-indigenous counterparts.

    

  • This discrepancy is larger for women.
  • Due to various factors, indigenous languages in the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate.
  • The International Year of Indigenous Languages was declared by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in a resolution (A/RES/71/178) on “Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

History of World Tribal Day

• • Aim: to emphasise the significance of protecting indigenous people’s rights, communities, and the knowledge they have accumulated and passed down through the ages.
  • The first UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations meeting was held in Geneva on 09 August 1982.
  • On 23 December 1994, the UN General Assembly decided to observe 9 August as the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples.
  • The Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People was proclaimed by the assembly in 2004 and it was decided to continue to observe annually International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
  • The goal of the decade was to strengthen cooperation internationally for solving problems basically faced by the indigenous peoples mainly in the areas of:
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Health
    • Human rights
    • Environment, social and economic development
  • The Permanent UN Forum on Indigenous Issues was established by a resolution passed by the Commission on Human Rights in April 2000 and promoted by the Economic and Social Council.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022

Theme

• • ‘The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge’.
  • The World Tribal Day in 2022 will have as its theme the indigenous women who serve as the pillars of indigenous communities.
  • They are also essential to the transmission and maintenance of traditional ancestor knowledge.
  • Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.

Issues Faced by Indigenous Women

• • Poverty
  • Illiteracy
  • Limited access to health and basic sanitation
  • Lack of employment
  • Limited participation in political life 
  • The prevalence of domestic and sexual violence

Status of Tribes in India

• • The tribal population constitutes 8.6%  (or 11 cr) of the total population (the second largest number of tribal people in any country in the world). 
  • 89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas.
  • Tribal people are concentrated in 809 blocks in India designated as the Scheduled Areas.
  • 66% India’s tribal population is over-dependent on agriculture and forest-related livelihood sources. 
  • The Expert Committee on Tribal Health presented the Government of India with the first National Report on the State of the Tribal People’s Health on August 9, 2018.
  • The aim of the committee was to find the present status of health and health care in tribal areas and the roadmap for future to solve the issues.
  • According to Lokur Committee (1965), the essential characteristics to be recognized by Scheduled Tribe are:
    • Indication of primitive traits
    • Distinctive culture
    • Shyness of contact with the community at large
    • Geographical isolation
    • Backwardness

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