A/HRC/EMRIP/2019/2
indigenous peoples, including in the context of migration. 6 The Committee on the Rights of
the Child and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and
Members of Their Families affirms that, “Every child, at all times, has a fundamental right
to liberty and freedom from immigration detention … the detention of any child because of
their or their parents’ migration status constitutes a child rights violation and contravenes
the principle of the best interests of the child … children should never be detained for
reasons related to their or their parents’ migration status and States should expeditiously
and completely cease or eradicate the immigration detention of children. Any kind of child
immigration detention should be forbidden by law and such prohibition should be fully
implemented in practice.”7
10.
The right to self-determination (see articles 3, 4 and 5 of the Declaration) is
recognized as a foundational right upon which all other rights of indigenous peoples are
dependent (see A/HRC/12/34). It relates to indigenous peoples’ right to control their own
destinies, to live within and participate equally in the constitution and development of
“governing institutional orders”. 8 The right of self-determination is recognized also in
article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. According to the Human Rights
Committee, article 1 is interrelated with other provisions of the Covenant and rules of
international law.9
11.
Beyond State boundaries, indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop
relationships with members of their community, as well as other communities within or
outside their respective country (Declaration, art. 36). That right includes the right of
indigenous peoples to trade in goods and services across borders (see E/C.19/2015/9, para.
3). Realizing that right presupposes some form of mobility, an intrinsic part of the lives and
cultures of some indigenous peoples. Declaration rights linked to the right to selfdetermination and of particular relevance in the context of borders, migration and
displacement include: the recognition of the right to land, not to be forcibly removed from
their lands or territories, not relocated without their free, prior and informed consent (arts.
10, 25, 26, 27, 30 and 32); the right to a nationality (art. 6); the right to freedom from
discrimination, to human rights and to fundamental freedoms as individuals and peoples
(arts. 1 and 2); the right to enjoy economic, social, cultural and labour rights (arts. 17, 20,
21, 23 and 44); the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their
culture (art. 8); the right to participate in decision-making and to have their free, prior and
informed consent and conservation and protection of their environment (arts. 10, 11, 19, 28,
29 and 32); the right to protection of and access to historical and cultural sites (arts. 11 and
12), the right to determine their own identity (art. 33) and the right to restitution and
compensation (art. 28).
12.
Some of those rights will have particular relevance for cross-border 10 migration.
While all Declaration rights relate to all indigenous peoples, indigenous elders, women,
youth, children and persons with disabilities are indicated as warranting particular attention
in the implementation of Declaration rights, including guarantees against all forms of
violence and discrimination (art. 22).
6
7
8
9
10
4
See Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 36 (2018) on article 6 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to life.
See joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families / No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of children in the context of international
migration in countries of origin, transit, destination and return, paras. 5, 6 and 10.
S. James Anaya, “The Right of Indigenous Peoples to Self-Determination in the Post-Declaration
Era” in Claire Charters and Rodolfo Stavenhagen (eds.), Making the Declaration Work: The United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Copenhagen: International Work Group for
Indigenous Affairs, 2009).
See Human Rights Committee general comment No. 12 (1984) on the right to self-determination,
para. 2.
I.e., crossing State borders, from one State to another.