The Project

The Sol-UN Project is an initiative in cooperation with the United Nations system and in response to the needs of experts, delegates and representatives of indigenous peoples in international standard-setting processes.  Its aims are to provide research, reporting and technical assistance in support of the development of international public law and policy.  Some of the Project's main areas of focus include environment, human rights, customary law, intellectual property rights and social issues, especially as they pertain to traditional knowledge and cultures.  The main reporting activity to date is the Sol-UN Indigenous Rights Bulletin that provides synthetic yet comprehensive, well-referenced reporting of international meetings on indigenous peoples' rights.

The name Sol (meaning "sun" in Spanish) was chosen to represent light and a way forward in the ongoing recognition and development of the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs) and traditional cultures. Progress in this respect is a principle aim in our research and reporting efforts, by providing an objective standing record of the detailed interventions presented at related UN and international meetings, citing legal precedents, and reporting community situations, towards supporting advancements. The sun is also frequently found as a powerful symbol in many indigenous and traditional cultures throughout the world. It shines equally upon all, and likewise the aspiration of indigenous peoples is for their rights and cultures to be honoured and respected equally.

The Sol-UN Project was formed on the request of indigenous delegations participating at UN meetings on the rights of indigenous peoples. The UN and other actors immediately supported the initiative.  It came as a constructive response to budgetary constraints in the UN system limiting the length of its reports, and the lack of mechanisms to record the many well-substantiated legal arguments and cases presented in oral interventions in the course of these meetings. The core team has an inter-disciplinary background and professional experience of over ten years in international public law processes and indigenous issues.

Sol-UN fulfills a parallel function that complements the work of the United Nations and other organizations. The Bulletins can be provided daily during the meetings, or afterwards to support inter-sessional work, offering two-tiered benefits and many possible applications, such as to:


Immediate benefits:

  • Stand as a detailed reference to support the drafting of official UN reports of each meeting, and to function as a supplement;

  • Provide a background reference to support indigenous delegates in their interventions, community project proposals, and strategic planning, both at the meeting and nationally;

  • Allow governments and other delegates to reflect more adequately on IPs' positions, for IPs to gage government positions, and to see how discussions have evolved over time;

  • Inform briefer reporting processes, research and publications with records based on primary and official sources.

Long-term benefits:

  • Function as a database for analysis and monitoring of developments in international standard-setting (in future, contents may be indexed and cross-referenced by theme and region);

  • Strengthen the mandates and agendas of related UN bodies and meetings system-wide, such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), the Working Group on the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (WGDD), the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP), and UN policies and programmes;

  • Serve as an educational tool for the UN Indigenous Fellowship Programme and other human rights training and research;

  • Gather case references in support of the ongoing work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, as well as to the other UN Special Rapporteurs, Experts and Treaty Body Committee Members for their research, reviews and planning of field visits;

  • Help guide UN studies, UN Specialised Agencies, international organizations, country offices and academics in identifying the most current priority issues for IPs by theme and by region;

  • Substantiate developments in national and international law and policy, customary law, jurisprudence and other standard-setting activities.