Map showing the countries that have ratified the ILO 169:

  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Central African Republic
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • Fiji
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • México
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Nicaragua
  • Norway
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Spain
  • Venezuela

Of those 22, only two are members of the Commonwealth; Fiji and the Dominica. Those that refuse to ratify ILO 169 are not bound by the law and undermine its principles. The best international mechanism for protecting tribal peoples’ rights is being weakened because governments refuse to ratify it.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is also an important international tool, setting a benchmark by which the treatment of tribal peoples can be judged. However, unlike ILO 169, the Declaration is not legally binding.

Only four countries voted against the Declaration when it was approved in 2007 – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All four countries have since announced their support for the Declaration – but all still refuse to ratify ILO 169.