LAND RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

That this House welcomes the Government's support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in September 2007, as well as its acknowledgement at that time that `indigenous peoples have suffered many historic injustices and continue to be amongst the poorest and most marginalised peoples of the world'; believes that these injustices will be brought to an end and their poverty alleviated only if the land rights of indigenous peoples are recognised and respected; further believes that a major step forward in achieving this is International Labour Organisation Convention 169 on Tribal and Indigenous Peoples, which puts those rights on a firm legal footing; regrets the Government's current refusal to ratify the Convention on the ground that there are no indigenous people in the UK; notes that this has not prevented other European countries like Spain and the Netherlands from ratifying the Convention; recognises that it is particularly important for the UK to do so because British interests are often involved in overseas projects which affect the lives of these peoples; and calls upon the Government to ratify Convention 169 without further delay.