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My name is Amy and I am a graduate student in peace and conflict studies at Marburg University, Germany. At the moment I am volunteering at the Why Democracy? project in Cape Town as an online coordinator.

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Declaration of Rights for Indigenous Peoples Adopted by UN

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posted by Anna-Maria Müller at 11h38 GMT on Sep 14

Against the strong opposition of some developed countries the United Nations adopted a historic bill of rights for indigenous people around the world.

Les Malezer, an an aboriginal leader from Australia, said before the voting results were published, that "If a few states do not accept the declaration, then it would be a reflection on them rather than the document,".

After 22 years of diplomatic negotiations this major triumph for the indigenous population worldwide emphasizes equal access to univesal human, civil as well as collective rights for indigenous peoples.

Read more about this historic milestone on Al Jazeera, the press release of the UN, on OneWorld.net and on Survival International. Join the global debate in our forum: Is democracy good for everyone?