I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 510
To protect indigenous peoples throughout the world.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 21, 1993
Mr. GILMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To protect indigenous peoples throughout the world.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Indige-
nous Peoples Protection Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(a) DETERIORATING SITUATION FACING INDIGE-
NOUS AND TRIBAL PEOPLES.—The Congress makes the
following findings:
(1) The situation of indigenous and tribal peo-
ples in developing countries is deteriorating world-
wide.
(2) Many of these populations face severe dis-
crimination, denial of human rights, loss of cultural
and religious freedoms, or in the worst cases, cul-
tural or physical destruction.
(3) If current trends in many parts of the world
continue the cultural, social, and linguistic diversity
of humankind will be radically and irrevocably di-
minished.
(4) In addition, immense, undocumented reposi-
tories of ecological, biological, and pharmacological
knowledge will be lost, as well as an immeasurable
wealth of cultural, social, religious, and artistic ex-
pression, which together constitute part of the collec-
tive patrimony of the human species.
(5) The pressures on indigenous and tribal peo-
ples, about 10 percent of the world’s population, in-
clude denial of political and civil rights and of oppor-
tunities for self-determination, destruction of natural
resources necessary for survival, and ethnic, racial,
and economic marginalization.
(6) In many cases, unsound development policy
that results in destruction of natural resources seri-
ously jeopardizes indigenous and tribal peoples’
physical survival and their cultural autonomy, fre-
quently also undermining the possibility for long-
term sustainable economic development.
(7) The loss of the cultural diversity for indige-
nous and tribal peoples is not an inevitable or natu-
ral process.
(8) In light of United States concern and re-
spect for human rights and basic human freedoms,
including rights to express cultural and religious
preferences, as well as the United States desire for
sustainable economic development, it is incumbent
on the United States to take a leadership role in ad-
dressing indigenous and tribal peoples’ rights to
physical and cultural survival.
(b) DEFINITION OF INDIGENOUS AND TRIBAL PEO-
PLES.—Indigenous and tribal peoples in developing coun-
tries are those populations that are ethnically, culturally,
or socially distinct from the politically dominant society
on the regional or national level. These peoples are often
(but not invariably) minorities, and invariably have little,
if any, political representation or influence in govern-
ments. Many such peoples are marginally integrated into
market economies and practice traditional, partially or
wholly subsistence-based forms of economic activity. Ex-
amples of indigenous or tribal peoples include lowland
South American Indians, Basarwa of Botswana and Na-
mibia, Mayan Indians in Central America, and registered
tribes in India.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING AND PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF IN-
DIGENOUS AND TRIBAL PEOPLES.
The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the
Agency for International Development shall ensure—
(1) that United States foreign policy and for-
eign assistance vigorously promote the rights of in-
digenous and tribal peoples throughout the world;
and
(2) that United States foreign assistance is not
provided for any project or program detrimental to
the rights of indigenous or tribal peoples or to their
livelihood.
The rights of indigenous and tribal peoples to be promoted
and protected pursuant to this section include the right
to maintain their cultural, religious, and other traditions,
customs, and institutions.
SEC. 4. BASELINE REPORT ON INDIGENOUS AND TRIBAL
PEOPLES.
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section and sec-
tion 5 is to help—
(1) guide future United States foreign assist-
ance and other actions that could affect indigenous
and tribal peoples, and