Fourteen years ago UNDRIP was introduced to the world

Today marks 14 years since the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by 144 countries.

According to the UN’s website, UNDRIP “establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of indigenous peoples.”

It contains 46 articles that cover various aspects of Indigenous peoples rights, including culture, language, health and education.

However, when the declaration was put to vote in 2007, Canada initially voted against the declaration and didn’t fully endorse it until 2010.

Australia, New Zealand and the US also voted against the declaration at first.

Australia began to support UNDRIP in 2009, New Zealand endorsed it in 2010 and the US recognized the declaration in 2010 – but has yet to fully implement it.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action were released in an effort to address the legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation in Canada.

The 94 Calls to Action reference UNDRIP multiple times, for example:

• #24 calls on medical and nursing schools to introduce courses that deal with Indigenous health issues
• #27 calls on the Federation of Law Societies to ensure lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training
• #42 calls on federal, provincial and territorial governments to recognize and implement Indigenous justice systems
• #43 calls on all governments to fully adopt and implement UNDRIP as the framework for reconciliation

In 2016, the Canadian government “committed to [UNDRIP's] full and effective implementation.”

It wasn’t until Dec. 2020 that the Government of Canada began to produce legislation that would implement the UNDRIP Act.

This June, the UNDRIP Act was made law in Canada.