Colleagues who teach Theme 8 should be aware of the rights of indigenous populations and the implications of globalisation for their threatened cultural identity. Many IB students are actively involved in Amnesty International campaigns in their schools and stimulating inter-disciplinary debates could be organised on the subject of indigenous identity with participants bringing their own contributions from philosophical, geographical and economic perspectives.
Some geographically-isolated cultures are physically threatened by the invasion in their territory of big international companies which regard their existence as a mere obstacle in their quest for precious minerals or new land for their cattle. However, some international organizations have been set up to defend the rights of these indigenous populations, under the aegis of the United Nations and its Indigenous Peoples Rights declaration of 2007. Unfortunately, the declaration carries no legal sanction against UN member states’ violations of these rights. However, The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues keep a close eye on the latest developments taking place in countries likely to suffer from encroachments of their ‘cultural rights’.
