Indigenous territorial rights

Indigenous territorial rights are crucial to ensure the self-determination of Indigenous peoples, particularly where states have inadequate legal frameworks and/or lack the resources to ensure protection. Violations of their rights frequently occur, usually with the complicity of governments, for example by governments approving resource extraction projects on Indigenous territories without having obtained the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of the affected groups. Continued access to their territories is particularly important so that Indigenous peoples can transmit their traditional knowledge to younger generations by engaging in their cultural practices.