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Who will speak for indigenous peoples at the UN General Assembly?

As diplomats arrive in New York for this three-month event, representatives for the more than 400 million indigenous peoples globally will not be among them.

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A woman dressed in traditional Norwegian Sami attire in Alta, northern Norway, on Sami people national day, Saturday, Feb. 6, 20
A woman dressed in traditional Norwegian Sami attire in Alta, northern Norway, on Sami people national day, Saturday, Feb. 6, 20

A woman dressed in traditional Norwegian Sami attire in Alta, northern Norway, on Sami people national day on February 6 2016. Credit: Alastair Grant/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.

Poverty, displacement, malnutrition.

Over the next two weeks, these three concerns will be discussed as agenda items at the United Nations’ annual gathering. And yet, indigenous peoples, who suffer at disproportionately high rates from these issue, will not be invited to participate in the meetings, nor any other general assembly sessions.