International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples: 9th August

There are an estimated 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.

In order to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on 9 August every year. This date was chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982.

The large majority of endangered languages are spoken by indigenous peoples. It is estimated that, every two weeks, an indigenous language disappears, placing at risk the respective indigenous cultures and knowledge systems. The goal of this day is to draw attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote them at both national and international levels.

There are lots of ways you can take part in this special day:

• Check out the library book display in the Cairns Indigenous Education and Research Centre 
• Browse our extensive collection of resources about indigenous languages including the AIATSIS Map of Aboriginal Australia
• Explore the links in the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Guide
• Listen to Aboriginal and Torres Stait Islander peoples share their language on the ABC's Word Up program