16.04.2021
German Parliament ratifies ILO Convention on the Protection of Indigenous Peoples
On 15 April, the German Bundestag finally ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 169 on the Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Convention guarantees indigenous peoples the right to preserve their cultural identity and to participate in national decision-making processes as well as to land and resources.
Germany's move makes it the 24th country worldwide to have passed the convention and follows on Luxembourg ratification in 2018. Climate Alliance and its indigenous partners have been campaigning for the signing of this Convention for many years in several countries. In Germany, the network is part of the ILO 169 Coordination Group, which sees the Convention as a crucial step towards strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples.
"Through the destruction of the rainforest, indigenous peoples, the defenders of the forest, are exposed to multiple dangers that affect the climate on a regional and global level," explains Harol Rincón Ipuchima, Vice-President of Climate Alliance and Climate Coordinator of COICA, the umbrella organisation of indigenous organisations in the Amazon Basin. The territories of indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge are of global importance for the preservation of biological and cultural diversity. The ILO Convention 169 is the only legally binding international instrument to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
Learn more
- ILO 169 Coordination Group Germany (in German)
- Text of ILO Convention No. 169 (pdf)
- News of Luxembourg's decision to ratify in 2018
- Climate Alliance's indigenous cooperation
