Ebook: The Indigenous World 2022

The compilation you have in your hands is the unique result of a
collaborative effort between Indigenous and non-indigenous activists
and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of
Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We thank them and celebrate the bonds and
sense of community that result from the close cooperation needed to
make this one-of-a kind documentation tool available.
For 36 consecutive years IWGIA has published The Indigenous World in
collaboration with this community of authors. This yearly overview serves
to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have
experienced throughout 2021. The Indigenous World 2022 adds not only
documentation, but also includes a special focus on the contribution and
situation of Indigenous women and their rights around the world.
Indigenous women play crucial roles in their communities as breadwinners,
caretakers, knowledge keepers, leaders and human rights defenders.
While Indigenous women have made small, but significant progress in
being part of decision-making processes in some communities, risen
to leadership in communal and national roles, and stood on the protest
frontlines to defend their lands and the planet’s decreasing biodiversity; the
reality remains that Indigenous women are massively under-represented,
disproportionately negatively affected by the decisions made on their
behalf without their valuable input, and are too frequently the victims
of intersectional discrimination and multiple expressions of violence
and sexual assault. Violence against Indigenous women triggers other
negative effects pertaining to their mental and physical health, lowering
their self-worth, thus impacting their possibilities of earning an income,
as well as their level of participation and decision-making powers. Though
we have chosen to focus on Indigenous women this year, we encourage
the analysis of their situation in every edition because reporting on their
lives and the implementation of their rights is imperative, essential and
crucial to fully reporting on the world of Indigenous Peoples and society
as a whole.
The 60 regional and country reports and 21 reports on international
processes and initiatives covered in this edition underscore these
trends. IWGIA publishes this volume with the intent that it is used as a
documentation tool and as an inspiration to promote, protect and defend
the rights of Indigenous Peoples, their struggles, worldview and resilience.