On the eve of the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, one University of Queensland researcher has questioned the relevance of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the declaration, which provides a framework for human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to 370 million indigenous people across 90 countries.
For TC Beirne School of Law Professor Jennifer Corrin, an expert on the relationship between traditional and modern legal systems in Pacific island nations, the concept of a ‘bill of rights’ does not address the problem of aligning international expectations with constitutional recognition of customary laws.
