Socially, culturally, historically and spiritually, antique peoples comprising fewer than six per cent of the total population of this planet have marked their international carnival, The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (IDWIPs), on August 9.

The five thousand Indigenous Peoples (IPs) communities, comprising of some 350 million people from 72 countries of five continents of the globe have thier common concerns and issues to be raised and recuperateed. They are: cultural and linguistic preservation, land rights, ownership and exploitation of natural resources, political determination and autonomy, environmental degradation and incursion, poverty, health, and discrimination. But, the oligarchic and ossified nature of states have been ever refuting their concerns and issues round the globe. The 17th International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was another occasion to amplify their oppressed voices world-wide.

The IDWIPs has been celebrated on August 9 every year to recognize the first United Nations Working Group on IPs meeting in Geneva in 1982. On December 23, 1994, the UN General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People should be observed on August 9 annually during the International Decade of the World’s IPs. As the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004) concluded in 2004, the assembly proclaimed the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2005-2014). The assembly also decided to continue observing the IDWIPs annually during the second decade as well. The second decade’s goal was to further strengthen international cooperation for solving the problems faced by IPs in areas such as culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development. In April 2000, the Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution to establish the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), that was endorsed by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The forum’s mandate is to discuss IPs issues related to culture, economic and social development, education, the environment, health and human rights.

As with other IPs around the globe, Nepali IPs (Adiwaasi Janajaatis) too have been celebrating the IDWIPs with an assortment of programs. This is the day for them for sharing opression and grievances they have faced in history at the hands of the oligarchic, fuedal and racist states, and their laws and policies. This Day also has been a pertinent occasion for them to amplify their demands and issues nation-wide. The IPs constitute a major segment of the Nepali society. Numerically and diversifically, they own a major part of society. According to the national census 2001, they comprise 37.2% of the population.

Equality is the major demand of the IPs in Nepal. Equality in political participation, opportunites and socio-cultural, economic, religious and lingustic dimensions. To materialise the afore-mentioned equalities, secularism, federalism, democracy and republic are the key tools they have been asking for, and which are pertinent and plausible too. The most significant achievement towards this end was conducting the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections. In the CA, there are 216 (35.9%) lawmakers from the IPs ethnic background, but they do not really represent IPs communities. They are, its obvious too, significantly loyal to their political parties they represent. So, there is thin hope of their addressing the IPs real and burning issues in the new constitution. No effective initations by lawmakers, whether they are IPs or non-IPs, towards assuring IPs rights and issues in the new constitution have been forged. But, the lawmakers ought to bear in mind that, the brazen refutation of demands and grievences of IPs and other marginalsed communities by the state and lawmakers would surely throw the country into political turbulence. So, it is the time to accommodate aspiraions and demands of all corners, with recognition for peace and prosperity. The current fluid and adverse political climate of the country has been haunting the Nepali people, regardless of ethinicity, caste, religion and so on. It is absolutely certain that no individual or community of Nepal wants poilitical intability and hullabaloo. All want political stability and peace. For this, equal treatment by the state to all communities, religions, languages, sex, culture, region and attire is sine qua non. That is yet to be realised in practice, even after the declaration of the federal democratic republic.

If we agree with the statement ‘The real wealth of a nation is its people’ (Human Development Report 1990), opportunities to all people within the country should be given to hoist the national flag of peace and prosperity, unitedly, and without prejudice, bigotry and marginalisation, because all the people and communities have equal rights to contribute in the national building process. It is for exhibiting solidarity and claim for a voice for equality, to lead to a better future for all.