International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: A Renewed Call for Rights, Dignity, Justice and Sustainable Livelihoods

Every forest has a memory. Every mountain carries a story. Every river remembers the footsteps of those who first learned to live with nature rather than conquer it. These are the stories of the world’s Indigenous Peoples—the first guardians of the Earth, whose wisdom has survived centuries of change, conflict and resilience.

Every year on August 9, the world observes the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Proclaimed by the United Nations in 1994, the day commemorates the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in 1982. More than a symbolic observance, it is a global reminder that humanity cannot build a just future while forgetting those who have protected the planet since time immemorial.

Their Constitution 

Before governments enacted forest laws, indigenous communities lived in harmony with nature. The forest was their home, their livelihood, their pharmacy, their school and their place of worship. They cultivated small patches of land, gathered honey, medicinal plants, fruits and tubers, caught fish from streams and hunted birds and small animals according to traditional customs and ecological balance.

They never measured wealth by ownership. They measured it by the abundance of rivers, trees and wildlife. Their knowledge preserved biodiversity long before environmental science became an academic discipline.

Conservation prohibits Tradition

Modern forest administration changed this relationship. In the name of conservation, many traditional practices became prohibited or heavily regulated. Communities that once depended on fishing, gathering forest produce and sustainable hunting gradually lost access to their traditional livelihood.

Unable to survive in the forests, thousands migrated to the plains. They became construction workers, plantation labourers and daily wage earners. Their traditional food, rich in nutrition and diversity, gave way to ration rice, pulses and processed food. Their health suffered even as food distribution improved. Conservation cannot succeed by excluding the very people who protected forests for generations. Forests and forest dwellers must survive together.

Rights Ignored 

The Constitution of India recognizes the need to protect Scheduled Tribes through the Fifth Schedule, Article 46, and Article 21, which guarantees the right to life with dignity. Parliament enacted the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, popularly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA), to correct the historical injustice committed against forest communities. Likewise, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) empowers Gram Sabhas to participate in decisions affecting their lives.

Internationally, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007, recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, culture, identity and self-determination.

Yet, for many indigenous families, these rights remain stronger in legislation than in everyday life.

Inclusive Development 

Education and healthcare continue to remain poor in many tribal settlements. In an age driven by artificial intelligence and digital technology, numerous villages still lack roads, internet connectivity, qualified teachers and functional health centres.

Anaemia among pregnant women remains widespread. Under-nutrition affects mothers and newborn children. Home deliveries continue in several remote villages because hospitals are too distant or inaccessible. Consequently, many births go unregistered, making it difficult to obtain birth certificates.

Without birth registration, securing Aadhaar cards, community certificates, ration cards and other identity documents becomes an endless struggle. A missing document often means exclusion from education, healthcare, scholarships and social security.

Visible Challenges 

Child marriage, child labour, school dropouts, adolescent health problems and teenage pregnancies continue to affect many indigenous communities. Awareness programmes rarely reach the last village. Children who deserve quality education often walk long distances to schools that lack teachers and basic facilities.

Many elected representatives visit these villages only during elections. Some indigenous families do not even know which constituency they belong to or who represents them in Parliament or the State Assembly. Democracy cannot flourish where representation rarely reaches the people.

Welfare with Partnership

The future of indigenous communities demands more than welfare schemes. It requires partnership. The Government must ensure effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act and PESA, improve nutrition for mothers and children, strengthen primary healthcare, establish residential schools with quality education in mother tongues, provide digital connectivity, ensure accessible transportation and simplify the process of obtaining identity documents.

Development should be measured not by the number of schemes announced, but by the number of lives transformed. Civil society has an equally important responsibility. Universities, lawyers, doctors, journalists, environmental groups and voluntary organizations must work with indigenous communities rather than merely work for them. Awareness campaigns against child marriage, child labour and school dropouts must become continuous movements. Indigenous youth should be encouraged to become teachers, doctors, scientists, lawyers, administrators and environmental leaders without losing their cultural identity.

Justice Rooted Like a Tree

India’s indigenous peoples are not obstacles to development. They are partners in sustainable development. They are the first guardians of forests, rivers and biodiversity. Protecting their rights is not charity; it is a constitutional duty, a democratic responsibility and an ecological necessity.

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, India must move beyond symbolic celebrations. Forest conservation and indigenous rights are not competing goals. They are two branches of the same tree.

When the forest regains its people, and the people regain their rights, justice will no longer remain confined to the pages of the Constitution. It will bloom in every village, every hill, every child, and every forest that still waits to be heard.

S.MOHAN is a Human Rights Defender and Journalist by passion residing at Theivacheyalpuram village, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, South India. Very first served as the Editor-in-Charge of Bold India daily in Mumbai. His professional journey spans distinguished leadership roles at MUDRA Communications (Reliance) Mumbai and Coromandel InfoTech. Chennai.    Beyond the corridors of corporate excellence, he devoted his energies to social transformation, served as the Associate Director of People’s Watch-Madurai, championing human rights, justice and democratic values