First Peoples Worldwide

First Peoples Worldwide
Name	First Peoples Worldwide
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Founded	1998
Founder	C. Bhagya Rao
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington
Area served	Global Indigenous communities
Focus	Indigenous rights, cultural preservation, legal advocacy

First Peoples Worldwide is a nonprofit advocacy organization that supports Indigenous rights, cultural preservation, and legal advocacy for Indigenous peoples across the Americas, Oceania, Africa, and Asia. It engages in policy advocacy, legal reform, capacity building, and cultural programming by collaborating with Indigenous nations, international institutions, philanthropic foundations, and academic organizations. The organization works alongside tribal governments, grassroots movements, and multilateral bodies to advance land rights, self-determination, and cultural heritage protection.

History and Origins

First Peoples Worldwide traces origins to late 20th-century Indigenous rights activism linked to events such as the UNDRIP processes and regional gatherings like the International Indian Treaty Council conferences and the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. Founders and early supporters drew on networks established by leaders associated with the American Indian Movement, the Assembly of First Nations, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The organization emerged in the context of legal milestones including the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Treaty of Waitangi settlements, and litigation before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Early allies included scholars and institutions such as Vine Deloria Jr., Wilma Mankiller, Haunani-Kay Trask, Winona LaDuke, Harold Cardinal, Taiaiake Alfred, Gustavo Verdesio, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and university centers like the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and the Native American Rights Fund.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission centers on advancing Indigenous sovereignty, protecting ancestral territories, and promoting cultural resilience through legal intervention, policy advocacy, and knowledge exchange with entities such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Organization of American States. Objectives emphasize support for Indigenous litigants in forums including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, national supreme courts like the Supreme Court of the United States, and regional tribunals in contexts related to the Delgamuukw v. British Columbia and Mabo v Queensland (No 2) jurisprudence. The organization pursues objectives aligned with initiatives by the Global Compact for Migration, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to defend Indigenous stewardship of biodiversity hotspots such as the Amazon Rainforest, the Congo Basin, and the Coral Triangle.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include legal defense funds, community capacity development, cultural repatriation projects, and research collaborations with institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, the British Museum, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and the National Museum of the American Indian. Initiatives have supported campaigns against extractive projects involving companies such as Rio Tinto, Chevron, ExxonMobil, BHP, and Vale while engaging with regulatory bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the European Court of Human Rights. Educational and youth programs partner with tribal colleges such as Diné College, Salish Kootenai College, First Nations University of Canada, and international universities including University of British Columbia, University of Auckland, Yale University, and Stanford University. Cultural initiatives coordinate with festivals and movements like Idle No More, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Naga Heritage Festival, and the National Museum of the American Indian exhibitions.

Governance and Leadership

Governance is structured with a board drawing from Indigenous leaders and allies, similar in profile to boards of the Native American Rights Fund, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Leadership roles have included executive directors with backgrounds connected to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Organization of African Unity histories, and regional bodies such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Advisory councils include elders and legal scholars with ties to former commissioners of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, judges from the Supreme Court of Canada, and activists associated with Rigoberta Menchú, Desmond Tutu, Evo Morales, Eddie Mabo, and Chief Wilma Mankiller-era networks. The organization liaises with tribal governments like the Navajo Nation, the Cherokee Nation, the Mapuche Nation, the Sámi Parliaments, and the Maori Council.

Partnerships and Funding

Partnerships span philanthropic funders such as the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Grantham Foundation; corporate partners are engaged cautiously with standards influenced by the Equator Principles, International Finance Corporation safeguards, and policies of the World Bank Group. Funding sources include grants from multilateral programs like the Global Environment Facility, project support from the United Nations Development Programme, and collaborations with legal clinics at institutions including Georgetown University Law Center, Yale Law School, University of Melbourne, and McGill University. Network alliances include the International Indian Treaty Council, the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the Global Witness campaigns, and environmental coalitions such as Amazon Watch and the Rainforest Foundation.

Impact and Recognition

Impact includes contributions to litigation outcomes resembling precedent-setting cases like Golder v. The United Kingdom-style human rights arguments, influence on policy instruments such as UNDRIP, and support for land restitution akin to New Zealand Treaty settlements. Recognition has come from awards and acknowledgments from institutions such as the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Pulitzer Prizes-adjacent civic honors, and commended projects listed by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The organization’s work has been cited in scholarly publications from presses like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and journals including the American Indian Law Review and the International Journal of Cultural Property, and has informed curricula at universities including Harvard University and University of Cape Town.

Category:Indigenous rights organizations