The United Nations observes the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 and the World Youth Day on August 12 to reflect on two different demographics that are indispensable to a world where no one is left behind.
The annual observances by the United States which is the largest organization in the world are meant to draw attention to some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. Such a high number of young people is an opportunity for the continent’s growth – but only if these new generations are fully empowered to realize their best potential. It is especially important that young people are included in decision-making and given appropriate opportunities to work and to innovate.
Involving young people in politics and society is not merely a question of inclusion, but one that is vital for economic growth, innovation, peace, and security.
However, young people continue to face many challenges.
In Africa, a continent which continues to underperform despite its limitless potential, young people face especially challenging times just trying to get by.
Some of these challenges are poverty, unemployment, and terrorism.
Indications show that Africa is becoming the epicenter of global terrorism. Major terrorist organizations appear to be setting up camp in Africa, especially in the Sahel region, where countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria are battling terrorism.
Terrorist groups largely depend on young people to thrive. So, young people are not just attacked and indiscriminately killed, they are also recruited into terror groups to further terrorize communities.
How do poverty and unemployment wade into the conversation? Unfortunately, Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, is among the poorest regions of the world. Nigeria alone, which is Africa’s most populous country, has more than half of its population languishing beneath the poverty line.
In many African homes, food insecurity, which is perhaps the most visible mark of grinding poverty, prevails.
The relationship between poverty and unemployment is a symbiotic one. In Africa, this symbiosis afflicts the youth with a vengeance. It is one of the chief reasons terrorist groups continue to find recruitment easy among impoverished and aggrieved African youth.
For the World’s indigenous people, it is very much about a life lived on the periphery at a time when the world needs every bit of their indigenous knowledge and experience to save itself from self-destruction.
In the face of raging climate change and biting conflicts, indigenous people can teach the world how to acquit itself with nature’s demand. Their unique relationship with nature and all the gifts it abundantly gives puts them in the best stead to provide solutions to the problems that are pushing the world to the edge. Yet, many indigenous people continue to face unspeakable abuse.
Violations of the rights of the world’s Indigenous Peoples have become a persistent difficulty, sometimes because of a historical burden from their colonization backgrounds and others because of the contrast with a constantly changing society.
Remembering that indigenous Peoples have the right to make their own decisions and carry them out meaningfully and culturally appropriate to them.
In this context of demand for self-determination, Indigenous youth are working as agents of change at the forefront of some of the most pressing crises facing humanity today.
For instance, Indigenous youth are harnessing cutting-edge technologies and developing new skills to offer solutions and contribute to a more sustainable, peaceful future for our people and planet.
But their future depends as well on the decisions that are made today. Their representation and participation in global efforts towards climate change mitigation, peace building, and digital cooperation are crucial for the effective implementation of their rights as indigenous.
This International Day of Indigenous Peoples 2023, under the title of “Indigenous youth as agents of change for self-determination”, revindicates the role that indigenous youth must occupy in decision-making while recognizing their dedicated efforts in climate action, the search for justice for their people, and the creation of an intergenerational connection that keeps their culture, traditions, and contributions alive.
There are an estimated 476 million indigenous peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but account for 15 percent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
Indigenous Peoples have sought recognition of their identities, their way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories, and natural resources for years. Yet, throughout history, their rights have been violated. Indigenous Peoples, today, are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The international community now recognizes that special measures are required to protect their rights and maintain their distinct cultures and way of life.
There is no doubt that if the world wants to leave its current trajectory of doom and gloom, it will have to tap into the inexhaustible potentials of indigenous people as well as young people.
Ike Willie-Nwobu,
