Kathmandu, Aug 9: The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is being observed today with a focus on protecting the rights, cultures, identities and traditional ways of life of Indigenous communities worldwide.

According to the United Nations, around 476 million Indigenous people live across 90 countries, accounting for less than six percent of the global population. However, they constitute at least 15 percent of the world’s poorest population.

Indigenous communities represent a significant share of the world’s cultural and linguistic diversity. The UN estimates that Indigenous peoples speak a large majority of the world’s nearly 7,000 languages and represent around 5,000 distinct cultures.

Despite their rich cultural heritage and longstanding relationship with nature and their communities, Indigenous peoples continue to face challenges in protecting their rights, traditional lands, territories and natural resources.

Historically, their identities, lifestyles and rights have often been overlooked or marginalized. As a result, Indigenous peoples remain among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities globally.

The international community has increasingly recognized the need for special measures to safeguard their rights and preserve their distinct cultures and ways of life.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on August 9. The date commemorates the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982.