In June 2016, after 17 years of negotiation, the OAS General Assembly adopted the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The historic milestone reaffirmed the commitment of the OAS Member States to recognize, promote and protect the fundamental rights of over 70 million indigenous peoples in the hemisphere.

The American Declaration includes provisions that address the particular situation of indigenous peoples in the Americas and affirms their basic right to self-determination, education, healthcare, self-government, cultural practice, lands, territories and natural resources, as well as to gender equality for indigenous women, among other fundamental rights.

In 2017, the OAS General Assembly adopted the Plan of Action for implementation of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2017-2021), and in 2018 the Permanent Council adopted a Resolution establishing the Inter-American Week for Indigenous Peoples, which aims to promote the traditions, languages, history, and societal contributions of indigenous peoples of the Americas. Since then, the OAS has celebrated this week around August 9 each year to coincide with the observation of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.