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Indigenous peoples have “come a long way” in past decade: Cree chief

Indigenous peoples have “come a long way” in past decade: Cree chief

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Indigenous peoples have “come a long way” since signing the UN Declaration on their rights a decade ago and need to celebrate their achievements, a chief of the Cree nation in Canada has said.

The Cree are one the largest groups of First Nations in North America.

Willie Littlechild helped draft the Declaration, a statement emphasizing the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions and to pursue their own development, at its early stages.

He and other indigenous leaders are in New York for the 16th Session of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples.

Recalling a time when indigenous peoples were not even welcome in rooms where issues affecting them were being debated, Mr Littlechild shared with Jocelyne Sambira his views on the progress made.

Duration: 5’30’’

Photo Credit
UN News/Jocelyne Sambira