In 1990, the General Assembly proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples, and in 1993, the Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, starting on 10 December 1994.

The goal of the Decade was to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous peoples in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health. The Coordinator of the Decade was the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and its theme "Indigenous peoples: Partnership in action".

Since then, 9 August has been celebrated as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

This commemoration is an opportunity to celebrate the richness of indigenous cultures and the contributions of indigenous peoples to the human family. But more importantly, it is a chance for men and women everywhere to take stock of the situation of indigenous peoples in our world today, and of how much more needs to be done to improve their lives. For far too long, indigenous peoples’ lands have been taken away, their cultures denigrated or directly attacked, their languages and customs suppressed, their wisdom and traditional knowledge overlooked or exploited, and their sustainable ways of developing natural resources dismissed. Some have even faced the threat of extinction. On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let us remember the most fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter – peace, development and human rights – and reaffirm our determination to broaden the circle of solidarity for indigenous peoples so that these principles are turned into practice for indigenous peoples everywhere. - Kofi Anan, Former UN Secretary General

On 22 December 2004, the General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/59/174 for a Second International Decade, which commenced on 1 January 2005.

The Decade has five main objectives:

• Promoting non-discrimination and inclusion of indigenous peoples in the design,implementation and evaluation of international, regional and national processes regarding laws, policies, resources, programmes and projects;
• Promoting full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in decisions which directly or indirectly affect their lifestyles, traditional lands and territories, their cultural integrity as indigenous peoples with collective rights or any other aspect of their lives, considering the principle of free, prior and informed consent;
• Redefining development policies that depart from a vision of equity and that are culturally appropriate, including respect for the cultural and linguistic diversity of indigenous peoples;
• Adopting targeted policies, programmes, projects and budgets for the development of indigenous peoples, including concrete benchmarks, and particular emphasis on indigenous women, children and youth;
• Developing strong monitoring mechanisms and enhancing accountability at the international, regional and particularly the national level, regarding the implementation of legal, policy and operational frameworks for the protection of indigenous peoples and the improvement of their lives.

• GDRC: Sustainable Development
• GDRC: Heritage Conservation and Management
• GDRC: Informal Economic Sector

• UN: Indigenous peoples: a photo exhibit
• UN: Indigenous peoples (UN Cyberschoolbus)
• UN: Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• IFAD: Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development
• ILO: Indigenous Peoples
• UNDP: Indigenous Peoples
• UNESCO: International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples
• UNHCR: Indigenous Peoples
• WIPO: Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Creativity
• Indigenous Knowledge for Development
• Development Gateway: Indigenous Peoples
• The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
• Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
• Center for World Indigenous Studies
• Cultural Survival
• Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum
• Guía preliminar de fuentes documentales etnográficas para el estudio de los pueblos indígenas de Iberoamérica
• Indigenous Knowledge Page
• Indigenous Law Resource Center
• Indigenous Peoples and Community Development
• Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Information Network
• Indigenous Peoples' Literature
• International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
• Latin American Network Information Center - Resources on Indigenous Peoples
• Researching Indigenous Peoples Rights Under International Law
• Rights of Indigenous People
• Survival International
• The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Indigenous Studies