The participation of Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations: the problematic institutionalization of a non-state actor.

Since the 1980s, the participation of non-state actors in international organizations has brought promises of greater inclusion and efficiency in the promotion and protection of human rights. The institutional inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations system is a clear example of this ev...

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Publicado en:International Affairs Vol. 102; no. 2; pp. 535 - 561
Autor principal: Barnier-Khawam, Pablo
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Mar2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2026
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        atl: The participation of Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations: the problematic institutionalization of a non-state actor.
      aug:
        au: Barnier-Khawam, Pablo
        affil: Sciences Po, Center for International Studies (CERI), Paris 75337, FranceUniversité Sorbonne Nouvelle, Centre de Recherche et de Documentations sur les Amériques (CREDA), 93322 Aubervilliers, France
      su:
        United Nations
        Indigenous peoples
        International law
        Political persecution
        Participation
        Activism
        Human rights
        Non-state actors (International relations)
        International organization
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          Indigenous peoples
          International law
          Political persecution
          Participation
          Activism
          Human rights
          United Nations
          International and other extra-territorial public administration
          International Affairs
          Non-state actors (International relations)
          International organization
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        copyrightHolder:The Royal Institute of International Affairs
        copyrightYear:2026
        critical theory
        diplomacy
        inLanguage:en
        international law
        international organization
        publisher:Oxford University Press
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        sociology
        copyrightHolder:The Royal Institute of International Affairs
        copyrightYear:2026
        critical theory
        diplomacy
        inLanguage:en
        international law
        international organization
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaf273
        sociology
      ab: Since the 1980s, the participation of non-state actors in international organizations has brought promises of greater inclusion and efficiency in the promotion and protection of human rights. The institutional inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations system is a clear example of this evolution, thanks to which an Indigenous elite has made great strides in securing the recognition of Indigenous rights. However, in the context of the vigilance policies by which the UN attempts to monitor respect for human rights, criticism from Indigenous activists has brought attention to the violations of international law by states. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, I demonstrate three key dynamics. First, socialization mechanisms create an Indigenous elite while marginalizing less experienced activists. Second, divergent registers of intervention—elite versus activist—reveal tensions between contributing to international law and denouncing rights violations. Third, resource scarcity and intensifying state repression expose the limits of vigilance policies, as informal networks designed to monitor violations inadvertently expose activists to greater danger. These findings challenge optimistic accounts of civil society participation in international organizations and reveal how institutional inclusion can coexist with systematic exclusion from meaningful protection.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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