Health in Indigenous Law

The Summit of Future, scheduled on September 2024 foresee the adoption of an action-oriented Pact for the Future showcasing global solidarity for current and future generations. In its report of 28th july 2022 on « Harmony with Nature », the secretary-general highlighted the need to create a new narrative for a regenerative world in which human rights go hand in hand with the rights of Nature, and sustainable development is reframed to ensure planetary health and the well-being of future generations. Those calls for the recognition of the rights of the current and future generations resonate with the continuous fights of indigenous peoples through a transgenerational approach, for the defense of their right of self-determination and in particular, their right to individual and collective life, their right to cultural identity and the preservation of their territories, land, natural resources and the spiritual entities. In addition, indigenous peoples warn of the endangerment of planet Earth as a whole and its future habitability. However, the commitment of indigenous peoples for the preservation of the interests of all Humanity, depends on the actions of this same Humanity. Today, more than yesterday, according to a multi-scalar, multidimensional and interconnected dynamic, the reality and effectiveness of the fight of indigenous peoples to preserve the rights of future generations depend on decisions taken within the framework of global, regional, national and local governance, often without their participation. The decisions taken without the indigenous peoples, threaten and alter both the ecosystems where they evolve and their cultural identity.

In this respect, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition of the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination, there is an urgent need to adopt a transcultural approach of the right(s) of current and future generations, respectful of the rights of the indigenous peoples and of their owns legal systems. Indigenous legal systems, based on a detailed knowledge of the law of the cosmos and the Laws of Nature, unable the exercise, the preservation and the transmission of indigenous ancestral knowledge for a “well living”, in harmony with nature and the different entities that inhabit the Earth.

In this perspective, the event Holistic Conceptions of Health in Indigenous Wisdom and Law proposes to dialogue with indigenous legal systems in order to highlight their foundations, their potentials and the obstacles encountered in their implementation, in order to optimize the human, planetary and territorial health system and the action against climate change..