Important signal:

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is very pleased that the German government has kept its coalition promise to pave the way for the ratification of ILO Convention 169. "This decision has an important signal effect for other European states to ratify this convention as well – and, thus, to give indigenous peoples more legal security," stated Jan Diedrichsen, Director of the STP Germany. 

Yvonne Bangert, STP's expert on indigenous peoples, stated: "We are pleased that our perseverance has paid off. For more than 20 years, the STP has been demanding the German government to ratify the convention – with lobby talks, press work, conferences with indigenous guests, publications, and street campaigns. With the adoption of the bill on Thursday in the Bundestag, the ratification is only a blink of an eye away." However, she emphasized that the ratification is only a first step. "Now, together with our indigenous partners and in the ILO169 Coordination Circle, we must breathe life into this decision and align German politics with the spirit of the convention."

Approximately 6,000 indigenous peoples, with a total of about 440 million members, make up about five percent of the world's population. Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) "Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries", is the only binding document under international law to protect the rights of indigenous peoples. In 44 articles, it defines a kind of canon of fundamental rights and recognizes indigenous peoples as fundamentally equal to the respective national societies. The key articles address the aspects of development and shaping the future according to their own priorities (Arts. 6 and 7), including the right to full participation in decisions of the state that might directly affect these peoples; to equality before the administration and judiciary (Arts. 8 and 9); to land and resources (Arts. 13-19); to employment and culturally appropriate working conditions (Art. 20).

"In our globalized world, indigenous people are often affected by large-scale mining projects or dam construction, for example," Bangert said. "Often, they can hardly exercise their political and cultural rights.  At the same time, however, they are the best climate and environmental protectors. We can all benefit from this. That's why ratification is an important step toward recognizing indigenous peoples as equal partners." So far, 23 countries have ratified the convention, including Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain in Europe. Now, Germany is joining them.

Coordination Circle ILO169 – an association of civil society organizations, networks, and experts committed to strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples and human rights, and to protecting the rainforests and the climate – has been demanding Germany to ratify this important human rights convention for more than 20 years. The STP was involved in the coordination group from the beginning.

The law, which was voted on Thursday evening (April 15) in the Bundestag, is the basis for ILO Convention 169 to be ratified by the Federal Republic. The ratification itself will then be completed by the signature of the Federal President and by depositing the document with the ILO in Geneva.