On Friday July 23, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations unanimously resolved to recommend to the General Assembly that it declare a second International Decade on the Rights of Indigenous People. The resolution came at the request of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, which held its annual meeting in Geneva last week. Much of the debate at that meeting centered on the developments of the last decade, designated in by the United Nations in 1994 as the International Decade on the Rights of Indigenous People. Delegates discussed whether the decade had seen improvements in the lives of indigenous peoples and whether a second decade would be helpful. In her opening remarks to the Working Group, newly appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour emphasized the importance of a second decade. Many indigenous groups also urged the extension, citing the lack of progress made during the first decade.
