Despite huge diversity between and within indigenous and tribal peoples in South Asia, as a social group they are found at the bottom of most socio-economic indicators and are disproportionately represented as victims of unemployment, underemployment, migration, bonded labour, discrimination, trafficking and child labour, among other areas of ILO concern. While national policy and legislative frameworks protecting the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples are in place in most South Asian countries, implementation remains a major challenge.
The Governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have ratified the ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Populations (Convention No. 107), while the Government of Nepal recently ratified ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.
In recent years, work in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Nepal and to a lesser extent, Pakistan) has focused on reducing conflict through facilitation of continuous dialogue based on ILO Standards on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (Conventions Nos. 107 and 169) and by defining priorities for the implementation of other relevant ILO Conventions (e.g. discrimination, bonded labour, child labour etc), with a view to identifying areas for improving indigenous and tribal peoples’ economic and employment situation. This work has been facilitated through support from the European Initiative on Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).
PRO 169’s main activities are thus: Awareness raising on ILO standards on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples; research and national dialogues on indigenous and tribal peoples’ rights (traditional occupations, discrimination, inclusion, poverty reduction); development of training materials and training courses; documentation and sharing of best practices from other countries; and mainstreaming indigenous and tribal peoples’ rights into other areas of ILOs work, including decent work country programmes.