Projects

Projects

Our projects drive meaningful progress in addressing the critical issues Indigenous communities face today. From protecting land and resource rights to advocating for Indigenous women's safety and providing practical tools for environmental conservation, each project is a step toward justice, empowerment, and sustainable change.

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Indigenous Lands Initiative

Securing Land Ownership Rights for Indigenous Communities in Mexico and Central and South America 

Indian tribes in Mexico and in Central and South America are treated terribly almost everywhere.  The most important thing we can do to help them is to help them protect and hold on to their lands – lands they need in order to have food and to survive.  This is why we are working to assist Indian communities, especially in Mexico and Central and South America, to get strong legal rights to their lands. 

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Project

Safe Women, Strong Nations

In the United States, violence against indigenous women has reached unprecedented levels on tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages.
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Multilateral Development Banks

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) and some national development banks play a central role in the approval of large-scale development projects, such as dams and forestry initiatives, which have had devastating effects on indigenous peoples and other local communities.
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Indigenous Peoples in Brazil and the Amazon

Historically, Brazil has served as a model demonstrating the potential for reducing deforestation by strengthening indigenous peoples’ legal land rights. Under Brazil’s Constitution of 1988, indigenous rights are explicitly protected.
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Law Reform

Our Law Reform project is directed at increasing understanding and support for the sovereign rights of Indian and Alaska Native nations and assisting them in winning needed improvements in federal law.
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Maya Q'eqchi' Land and Resource Rights

In Guatemala, extractive industry and conservation projects are threatening the special relationship the indigenous peoples have with their lands and resources.
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Protecting Alaska's Rivers

The Center has a long history of environmental advocacy in Alaska. Over the years, the Center has continued to help Alaska Native nations and villages expand their legal and technical capacity to protect and clean up their lands and waters.
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Protecting Indigenous Rights In Climate Policy

As part of global climate negotiations, the world’s leaders recognized that deforestation is one of the leading causes of climate change, and launched a program to protect forests in developing countries.
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Rapa Nui

The Rapa Nui people are the original inhabitants of Rapa Nui Island, commonly known as “Easter Island.” The island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean is a colony of Chile, “annexed” in 1933 without the consent of the Rapa Nui people.
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The American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On June 15, 2016, after nearly 30 years of advocacy and negotiation, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The OAS is a regional intergovernmental organization of 35 member countries of the Americas, including the United States.
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The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Center's best known work is our 30 years of organizing and advocacy to win adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  The Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007.
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Timbisha Shoshone Tribe

An example of the unfairness of federal law and the injustice of federal administrative action to Indian tribes is the recent treatment of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, a small tribe in Death Valley, California.
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World Conference on Indigenous Peoples

On September 22 and 23, 2014, the United Nations held the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in order to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, including to pursue the objectives of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Helping Indian leaders initiate, win, and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been an important part of the Center’s work for more than 35 years.

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Past Projects

Project

Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Helping Indian leaders initiate, win, and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been an important part of the Center’s work for more than 35 years.