United Nations estimates that there are "370 million indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 per cent of the world's population, but account for 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world's estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures"
2017 also marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of indigenous peoples.
To learn more about this day visit the website of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
Photo: Haida Museum - Haida Gwaii
