United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples: Themes and articles


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Through its 46 articles, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration) affirms and sets out a broad range of collective and individual rights. These rights represent the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples around the world.

While the rights in the Declaration are interrelated and may span multiple topics, its articles can broadly be grouped around the following themes, which come from other international human rights instruments. It is important to note that the themes below may not reflect the language of the Declaration, but were written to promote the consideration and understanding of the Declaration as a whole.

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