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of social mobilization that, in turn, often provoke the use of public force, and so incur
further violations of their rights. This has given rise to patterns of criminalization of
indigenous social protest, making it harder to achieve a negotiated and democratic solution
to their legitimate demands.
91.
Globalization and environmental degradation contribute to the increasing
involvement of indigenous people in migratory flows, their growing urbanization and the
progressive modification of their cultural and social identity. These processes pose new
challenges for the protection of human rights and for the framing of public policies, which
require proactive and affirmative approaches, especially in the light of the specific
problems facing indigenous women and children. Failure to address the structural causes
of these situations will mean that the promises of the Millennium Development Goals will
not become a reality for indigenous people, nor will they fully enjoy their human rights.
92.
The Council now has the responsibility and the opportunity to take new steps
towards international protection of the human rights of indigenous people. States need to
display greater political will and capacity to construct efficient mechanisms and structures
that will genuinely promote, rather than merely simulate, effective respect for the human
rights of indigenous people in their countries. The courts must actively defend those rights
and transcend the legal niceties so long invoked to deny indigenous people their rights.
Civil society organizations, as well as political parties, must push for the human rights of
indigenous people to be placed on their agendas for social and political action. In
conclusion, indigenous communities and organizations, which have played such an
outstanding role in the defence and promotion of their human rights, must reassess their
objectives and strategies, strengthen and consolidate their alliances, and involve themselves
in the processes required to build genuine democratic and plural societies.
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