The Implementation Project, a joint project of the Native American Rights Fund and the University of Colorado Law School, has long encouraged the United States government to take measures to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, we are thrilled to see the Department of the Interior (DOI) issue an historic statement, Advancing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (January 14, 2025), acknowledging the commitment of the United States “to take measures to achieve the ends of the Declaration.” The statement reflects more than a decade of efforts, including the 2014 United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution adopting the Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
In particular, DOI acknowledges that the United States, together with all Member-States of the United Nations, has committed to “taking, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, appropriate measures at the national level, including legislative, policy and administrative measures, to achieve the ends of the Declaration and to promote awareness of it among all sectors of society, including members of legislatures, the judiciary and the civil service” and “to cooperate with Indigenous Peoples, through their own representative institutions, to develop and implement national action plans, strategies or other measures, where relevant, to achieve the ends of the Declaration.”
DOI also identified a number of federal Indian policy measures that the Biden-Harris administration has taken over the last four years, including regulations and guidance expressly citing the Declaration. Several examples embrace “free, prior, and informed consent” as a safeguard for ensuring the rights of Indigenous Peoples. While these are important measures, much more remains to be done. The Implementation Project will continue to push toward a national action plan and support Tribal Nations as they implement the Declaration and its provisions nationwide.