World Council of Indigenous Peoples
| Formation | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Founder | George Manuel |
| Extinction | 1996 |
| Purpose | having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale |
| Headquarters | Canada |
The World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was a formal international body dedicated to having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale. The WCIP had observer status in the United Nations, a secretariat based in Canada and represented over 60,000,000 Indigenous peoples worldwide.
The council dealt with the economic, cultural, political, and social rights of indigenous peoples, along with the retention of their land and natural resources. Before dissolving in 1996 the WCIP was a powerful force for indigenous peoples, giving its members a concrete experience in international politics.
The WCIP was built upon the shared history of Indigenous peoples around the world. The WCIP believes that indigenous peoples have experienced a shared history of intimidation, threat, deprivation, injustice, discrimination and genocide, and have felt themselves threatened by extinction. They seek rights to self-determination and self-government, as the WCIP believes that colonialism has rendered them vulnerable to domination and control by more powerful nations and peoples.
The WCIP was the first global effort established by indigenous peoples to preserve and protect the group integrity of aboriginal and indigenous peoples worldwide. They regard the "preservation and protection of Indigenous interests essential to the preservation of world peace and world development."
George Manuel, President of the National Indian Brotherhood and member of the Shuswap Tribe of British Columbia, had travelled with Jean Chrétien to New Zealand. Upon his return, Manuel said:
"I hope that the common history and shared values that we discovered in each other are only the seeds from which some kind of lasting framework can grow for a common alliance of Native Peoples."
In 1972 Manuel, along with the General Assembly of the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB) endorsed the idea of an international conference of indigenous peoples. It also authorized the NIB to apply for Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status at the UN.
The first preparatory meeting for the world conference was held from April 8 - 11th in Guyana 1974. It included representatives from Australia, Canada, Columbia, Greenland, Guyana, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.
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