Twelve years ago today, on December 16, 2010, President Obama announced that the United States would "lend its support" to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).  

"The aspiration it affirms," Obama said, "including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures of Native Peoples, are one we must always seek to fulfill...I want to be clear: what matters far more than words, what matters far more than any resolution or declaration, are actions to match those words." 

With your support, Cultural Survival works towards making the rights in the Declaration a reality every day through Indigenous-led grantmaking, advocacy, communications, and capacity building by supporting grassroots Indigenous solutions, uplifting Indigenous women's and youth leadership, and amplifying Indigenous voices about international human rights.

Our programs work in tandem to achieve various goals in the Declaration:

• Our grantmaking programs, Keepers of the Earth Fund and Indigenous Community Media Fund, are Indigenous Led Funds that support grassroots solutions to issues affecting communities, fulfilling Articles 3 and 4.

• Our Community Media Program aims to make Article 16, the right to Indigenous-controlled media, a reality, through financial, technical, and training support to Indigenous community radio stations.

• Our Indigenous Rights Radio Program and our Cultural Survival Quarterly magazine promote Indigenous voices, solutions, and languages, working to fulfill Article 13.

• Our Advocacy Program and Capacity Building Program use international human rights mechanisms to bring global attention to situations where governments and corporations have violated Indigenous rights, including the implementation of Articles 10, 11, 19, 28, and 29, focusing on Indigenous self-determination, participation in decision-making, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

• Our Bazaar Program focuses on sustainable livelihoods, traditional artistic expression, and cultural heritage, working to fulfill Articles 11, 21, and 31.

• Across all our programs, we promote the leadership of Indigenous women and youth, realizing Articles 21 and 22.

Cultural Survival is one of a few global Indigenous rights organizations, and our 50-year legacy of this work is possible because of partners like you. Your investment is vital in our success to implement the rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Join Cultural Survival by committing to promoting Indigenous rights by making a financial gift today! 

Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. We envision a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.