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Article 8 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states:
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.

Es importante reconocer las experiencias distintas que tienen personas Indígenas. Para Olga Montúfar, una activista mexicana que trabaja con la organización Paso a Paso, el abogar por los derechos de personas Indígenas con discapacidad es una manera de ayudar a una población marginada. Además de hablar sobre su propia experiencia como persona con discapacidad, explica cómo intenta educar a las personas Indígenas con discapacidad sobre sus derechos como personas Indígenas y discapacitados.

El tema de la diversidad sexual no ha sido discutido abiertamente en el Mecanismo de Expertos de las Naciones Unidas. Andrea Sánchez Lezama, de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, habla de la importancia de reconocer las necesidades y los derechos fundamentales de personas Indígenas con diversas identidades sexuales.

Jennifer Lopez Vicente, facilitadora comunitaria en Guatemala y autora de un artículo sobre los derechos de las mujeres mayas y jóvenes, habla de su experiencia como maya y mujer para dar una voz a su comunidad.

Luis Victor, representante peruano de la Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas, comparte sus observaciones sobre el problema de los gobiernos de países latinoamericanos y empresas que promueven la extracción de recursos naturales y cómo afecta la soberanía y salud de los pueblos Indígenas.  

Según Capac Conde, un joven abogado aymara de Bolivia, no es suficiente sólo adoptar la Declaracion de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, sino que los Pueblos Indígenas necesitan conocer los artículos de la Declaración y saber cómo defender y exigir la aplicación de sus derechos.

Una consulta con un relator especial es una manera de buscar la que las demandas y los retos de los Pueblos Indígenas sean escuchados y respetados. Sandra Cevallos de Argentina explica el proceso de solicitar y gestionar una visita del relator.

Albert Deterville, Expert Mechanism representative of Latin American and the Caribbean, discusses the Expert Mechanism, as created by the UN, on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the process in which they aid the monitoring of rights in regions around the world.

Les Malezer, of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, discusses the origins and goals of the expert mechanism and it's importance to the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world.

Nina Cass, of New South Wales, Australia, discusses her work with Madala, a youth organization that helps Indigenous young people go to school as well as the issues facing the Indigenous Peoples in Australia such as the promotion of culture, relocation, discrimination, suicide, etc. and how she can help in her role. 

Ben Sherman, of the Lakota Nation, discusses his work with the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance and his hopes to reach and engage more people through his organization, as well as the challenges facing the organization as it spreads to other parts of the world. 

The idea of every human being’s ’right to food’ is nothing new these days, however, looking specifically at this idea in relation to Indigenous Peoples is an exciting and important movement that is gaining steam fast, and rightfully so. International conferences, under the title Indigenous Terra Madre, have been held across the globe first in Sweden in 2011 and then India to explore topics related to Indigenous food sovereignty and better spread the vast agricultural knowledge that has been passed down through Indigenous communities for generations.

Voices of Maize, by CS Radio Producer Shaldon Ferris. The importance of maize in South African culture is impossible to overstate. Listen to Shaldon Ferris describe some of the uses of this staple in his culture, and the variety cultures found throughout South Africa.

Dr. Daphne Miller from the University of California tells us that Indigenous Peoples who eat the diets of their ancestors are immune to many chronic diseases.  Indigenous diets are also suited to local environments: farmers farm in a cycle, use different kinds of seeds, conserve water, engaging practices that are not only sustainable and organic but also regenerative.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Researcher Elizabeth Hacker describes research about how Indigenous individuals create their own frameworks to define "well-being" to counter Western ideas of well-being. She found three important concepts for Indigenous well being are, Meeting basic material needs; social harmony and sense of belonging; and cultural identity. Dev and Elizabeth discuss examples from her research in India and Kenya.

Participants discuss what food sovereignty means for Indigenous Peoples. Speakers include Native American activist, and author Dr. Winona Laduke, and Dr. Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, Global Coordinator of the ICCA Consortium, and David Strelneck, Senior Advisor at Ashoka Foundation.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Interviewees discusses the main challenges to food security for a rising global population. Dhrupad Choudhury of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, argues that Indigenous farmers are doing important work to tackle challenges the world is facing today due to climate change. Indigenous farmers have the building blocks of stress tolerant crops, as well as sustainable agricultural practices because they are dependent only on the resources available to them.

Dr. Winona LaDuke describes her practices experimenting with various types of maize.