وهذا الحق منصوص عليه في المادة 19 من الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، ومشار إليه في المادة 5(د)`8` من الاتفاقية الدولية للقضاء على جميع أشكال التمييز العنصري.
The Committee is conscious of the fact that in many regions of the world indigenous peoples have been, and are still being, discriminated against and deprived of their human rights and fundamental freedoms and in particular that they have lost their land and resources to colonists, commercial companies and State enterprises.