Ethnodevelopment and Indigenous Peoples in Latin America.

Ethnodevelopment and Indigenous Peoples in Latin America.

According to the last round of censuses available, in 2010 there were about 42 million indigenous people in Latin America, representing nearly 8 % of the total population. Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Bolivia had the largest indigenous populations both in absolute and proportional terms, comprising more than 80 percent of the total (34.4 million). El Salvador, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Venezuela had the smallest proportions of indigenous population, with El Salvador and Costa Rica having the smallest indigenous populations in absolute terms (14,865 and 104,143 people, respectively)

Poverty means different things to different people but in fact afflicts 43 % of the indigenous population in the region—more than twice the proportion of non-indigenous people—while 24 % of all indigenous people live in extreme poverty, 2.7 times more than the proportion of non-indigenous people.

Indigenous people account for about 8% t of the population, but represent 14% of the poor and over 17% of all Latin Americans living on less than US$2.50 a day. Being born to indigenous parents substantially increases the probability of being raised in a poor household, contributing to a poverty trap that hampers the full development of indigenous children.

The International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (1989) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) established a new scenario in which the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people had to be redefined.

Part VI of ILO No. 169 (Articles 26–31) specifies grants for indigenous peoples, several educational rights, including the right to be educated in their own languages and cultures, with content based on their own history,

What is the current challenge for Ancestral peoples? (an accurate word instead of "Indigenous" People) Aimed at preserving cultural differences and safeguarding the rights of indigenous peoples to reproduce their cultures and languages, manage their lands and natural resources, and govern themselves according to their political systems and customary laws. Specially the participation and the Right to self-determination; that is, the right of indigenous peoples to determine their own economic, social, and cultural development.

Indigenous peoples have in fact expanded the scope of the human rights system in at least three aspects, according to the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples: (1) the emphasis on collective rights over individual rights; (2) the inclusion of the term peoples when referring to indigenous societies—a category precluded by many states; and (3) the relevance given to non-state actors and the globalization of local struggles, via NGOs, indigenous movements, and international forums, among others.

So,what means Development with Indigenous Identity? Development with identity, also called ethnodevelopment, alter-development and culturally pertinent development, which define development as a process that originates in and is led by communities. The balance between cultural continuity and integration, also means ancestral knowledge, value systems, social practices, and technologies, as well as the right to maintain their own educational institutions under state funding.

This aim also calls for equal access and opportunity to attain educational services at all levels and without discrimination. the Article 30 ILO 169 Convention moves a step further as it indirectly promotes interculturalism as a route for fostering a dignified image of indigenous peoples in contemporary society.

According to the last Human Development Report 2015 Work for Human Development published for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) across most countries in all regions, women work more than men. Women are estimated to contribute 52% of global work, men 48% but the gender pay gap still persist.

Empowering indigenous women is an effective route for reducing social exclusion and poverty, as well as for creating innovative ways of self-development.

Extracted & Summarized from —The World Bank. 2015. Indigenous Latin America in the Twenty-First Century. Washington, DC: World Bank. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO.

Natalia Moreno Varela. Lawyer.