In a statement they called on the States to do more to protect those communities and liberate them from exclusion.
The demand was signed by the special rapporteur for the indigenous peoples' rights, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz; the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Affairs, and the Experts' Mechanism on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples was approved ten years ago by the General Assembly, but the challenges they face are still present, they said.
Racism, discrimination, the lack of basic services and the loss of their lands and resources that are essential for their welfare and cultural identity are problems that have not been solved yet, they insisted.
According to the promoters of the indigenous peoples' rights in all five continents, a population segment of 300 million, statistics show that they are lagging behind in several sectors, including the fight against poverty, the advance in education and the improvement of life expectancy.
The situation is even worse for women, who suffered from double discrimination as both women and indigenous people, they charged.
The experts noted that time cannot be wasted and the governments must increase their efforts to translate the Declaration adopted a decade ago into concrete achievements.
PL/MNA
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