Indigenous land rights and World Heritage sites : why are some indigenous peoples treated better than others by UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee?
Indigenous land rights and World Heritage sites : why are some indigenous peoples treated better than others by UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee?
Date
2023
Authors
Thorne, Jordan
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Abstract
This thesis explores the relationship between UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Indigenous
land rights, focusing on the varying levels of protection that UNESCO and the World Heritage
Committee afford to Indigenous Peoples. Through an analysis of case studies from different
regions, this study seeks to identify patterns in the ways UNESCO and the Committee address
Indigenous rights, considering procedures of the World Heritage system and their interactions
with national interests. Particular attention is paid to the concepts of “Outstanding Universal
Value”, authenticity, uniqueness, and wilderness, and the continuing role of colonialism in
conservation. This thesis highlights the increasing politicisation of decision making within the
World Heritage Committee and the changing dynamics between the Committee, UNESCO,
and its advisory bodies, looking at how this not only threatens Indigenous rights but also limits
the effectiveness of the World Heritage Convention. Ultimately, this thesis argues that
Indigenous Peoples receive greater or lesser protection due to compatibility with a “productive”
use of land, rather than any inherent merits of their cultures. The study highlights the need for
more Indigenous involvement in heritage conservation, and how UNESCO and the Committee
could use their influence to protect Indigenous land rights more effectively.
Description
Second semester University: University of Helsinki. Global Campus awarded thesis 2022/2023
Keywords
indigenous peoples,
common heritage of humanity,
UNESCO,
right to property,
land tenure,
indigenous rights,
tourism,
colonialism