On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly voted 170–4 to create a new Human Rights Council, effectively dissolving the oft-criticized Commission on Human Rights. Candidates for the Council will need to be elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in order to secure a position, and once elected members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

The second Indigenous Peoples Summit of the Americas, hosted by the Organización de Naciones y Pueblos Indígenas en Argentina (ONPIA) and the Assembly of First Nations in Canada (AFN), took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 24-29. Indigenous groups met at the summit to draft a Declaration and Action Plan of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.

Canadian health officials announced a Can$5.5 million grant to support three global indigenous health research projects that focus on researching HIV/AIDS, mental health, and indigenous health workforce networks on July 5. "There is much we need to learn about indigenous peoples' health issues," said Uijal Dosanjh, Minister of Health, to the Canada Newswire.

On May 30, the Canadian government signed an agreement with the Assembly of First Nations pledging to pay a lump sum in compensation for former students of Indian residential schools.