United Nations
General Assembly
A/HRC/RES/21/24
Distr.: General
11 October 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-first session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
21/24.
Human rights and indigenous peoples
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling all Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Council resolutions
on human rights and indigenous peoples,
Bearing in mind that the General Assembly, in its resolution 59/174 of 20 December
2004, proclaimed the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People,
Recalling the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/295 on 13 September
2007,
Welcoming General Assembly resolution 65/198 of 21 December 2010, in which the
Assembly expanded the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous
Populations so that it can assist representatives of indigenous peoples’ organizations and
communities to participate in sessions of the Human Rights Council, the Expert Mechanism
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum and of human rights treaty
bodies, based on diverse and renewed participation and in accordance with relevant rules
and regulations, including Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July
1996, and urging States to contribute to the Fund,
Recognizing the importance to indigenous peoples of revitalizing, using, developing
and transmitting their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems
and literatures to future generations, and designating and retaining their own names for
communities, places and persons,
Taking note of the study by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples on the role of languages and culture in the promotion and protection of the rights
GE.12-17477
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in
the report of the Council on its twenty-first session (A/HRC/21/2), chap. I.