International Day of the World's Indigenous People
(Vatican Radio) August 9th is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous
People. First proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1994, this year’s International
Day is focusing on Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices. The Senior Specialist
on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ Issues at the International Labour Organization,
Albert Barume told Vatican Radio that access to work, job training and fair treatment
at work continue to be important issues for indigenous communities around the world.
“Indigenous people are still representing a proportionately large number of people
who have no access to jobs,” he said. “One of the reasons is the inaccessibility of
indigenous people to vocational training.” 370 million indigenous people live in more
than 90 countries across the world, from the Arctic to the tropical forests. Indigenous
people constitute approximately 5% of the world population but up to 15% of those
living in extreme poverty. Listen to ILO expert Albert Barume's extended conversation
with Vatican Radio: