Publications on indigenous and tribal peoples

  1. The impact of COVID-19 on indigenous communities: Insights from the Indigenous Navigator

    08 October 2020

    On the basis of a community-led data-gathering effort and testimonies from indigenous communities, this report provides first-hand information on the situation of indigenous peoples in 11 countries. It highlights how pre-existing barriers in access to health, social security and education are causing disproportional impacts of the pandemic on indigenous peoples, while also describing the role that communities can play in building an inclusive COVID-19 response and recovery.

  2. COVID-19 and the world of work: Ensuring no one is left behind in the response and recovery

    09 June 2020

    This brief is part of a series on leaving no one behind in the context of COVID-19 and the world of work. It provides an overview of specific groups that risk being left behind: people with disabilities, indigenous and tribal peoples, people living with HIV, and migrant workers.

  3. COVID-19 and the world of work: A focus on indigenous and tribal peoples

    03 June 2020

    Drawing on new ILO data, this brief analyses the vulnerabilities of indigenous and tribal peoples in the COVID-19 context and identifies urgent and continuing actions to ensure their access to decent work and social protection, as part of the unfolding COVID-19 response and recovery.

  4. Papua New Guinea Project Brief

    05 May 2020

    This project brief describes the Employment-Intensive Recovery and Reconstruction Response (E3R) project to mitigate the impact of a series of 7.5 and a 6.7 magnitude that hit the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, between the 26 of February and 8 of March 2019. By using a local-resource based strategy, the ILO was able to assist successfully in the construction of gravity fed water supply systems and contribute to the transition towards livelihoods recovery.

  5. Fact sheet - Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future

    03 February 2020

  6. Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future

    03 February 2020

    This report examines the implementation of the Convention No. 169 and the current social and economic situation of indigenous people across the world.

  7. A qualitative study on stigma and discrimination experienced by indigenous peoples living with HIV or having TB at work

    13 December 2019

    Indigenous peoples living with HIV or having TB face double discrimination. Being an LGBT indigenous person adds another layer to this. Barriers to accessing health services, denial of the right to work and discrimination in employment settings are highlighted in a new ILO study undertaken by the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, the secretariat of the International Indigenous HIV & AIDS Working Group. Read more…

  8. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) - General observation, publication 2019

    31 July 2019

    At its 2018 session (November–December), the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) adopted a general observation on the application of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). The text of this observation is reproduced in this brochure.

  9. Excerpts from reports and comments of the ILO Supervisory Bodies: Applying the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)

    26 June 2019

    This tool seeks to disseminate the comments and recommendations of the ILO supervisory bodies in the context of the application of Convention No. 169. It includes extracts from the comments of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the reports of tripartite committees of the Governing Body that have examined representations regarding the Convention. The document is organized in a thematic and chronological manner, since the entry into force of the Convention. With this tool, the ILO seeks to contribute to the understanding of the Convention, an effective promotion and application.

  10. Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change: Emerging Research on Traditional Knowledge and Livelihoods

    16 April 2019

    Traditional knowledge of indigenous communities cuts across numerous aspects of sustainability and resilience. However, the practice of traditional knowledge is yet to be adequately understood, with many research gaps confronting policy-makers. Prominent among these is an understanding of the interplay of traditional knowledge systems, rooted in indigenous ways of life, cultural approaches and traditional occupations, with the transformations being experienced in societies, economies, institutions, technologies and the climate. A collaboration between the ILO and the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, this publication draws on recent and emerging research conducted directly with communities across Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. It aims at sharing experiences gained by researchers and the communities themselves with policy-makers and key stakeholders.