After 2015

After 2015, the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) will be followed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). How well will Indigenous people be represented amongst the 17 goals?

Shortly after the MDG were published, global criticism arose about the lack of concern on indigenous issues. The moto of ‘no one left behind’ became the quick answer, still, nearing the end of the mandate, not much has change.

A year ago, at the MDG review conference in Columbia, indigenous leaders gave to the head of the UN Development Programme, Helen Clark, their manifesto for inclusion in the development agenda. The primary focus of the manifesto is on land and territorial rights. Perhaps this is the single most important feature that could insure inclusion of indigenous people in the SDG – and thus alleviating poverty.

Political Will
However, governments are reluctant to engage in an international agreement that would obligate recognition of indigenous rights against the short-term economical perspective of current political plans. So what is the future for the SDG? How can these priorities match indigenous objectives?

There seem to be no shortage of priority-listing at the UN. The real challenge will be in the implementation and monitoring procedures of the goals. Thus, the inclusion of indigenous peoples is essential for asserting the sustainability, agency and feasibility of these goals on the ground.

As the international indigenous movement is gaining strength, indigenous leaders are building political power. Perhaps 2015 will be a year of turning tables.

Selena Raven Cordeau
Author for FDCIP and student in the Master’s in Indigenous Studies at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.