Across the world, Indigenous Peoples are confronting pressures old and new – shrinking civic space, armed conflict, renewed militarisation and the accelerating race for minerals needed for the energy transition, much of which is mined on their lands.
The 40th edition of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs’ (IWGIA) report, The Indigenous World, documents both these threats and the political gains made by communities.
The Indigenous World was first published in 1986 off the back of a Workshop on Indigenous Rights held in Geneva, Switzerland. Since then, it has been put together annually by a global network of volunteer contributors and has chronicled four decades of progress, regress and obstacles in the assertion of Indigenous rights around the world.
Dialogue Earth spoke with Dwayne Mamo, who has been The Indigenous World’s general editor since 2019, about the report’s findings on the current state of Indigenous rights, and why climate politics cannot be separated from land, sovereignty and justice. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
