---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The global Indigenous cause reached a…"
description: "\"“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg"
---

#  The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in…

![“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only four members of the assembly voted in opposition, all of them Anglo settler-states - the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.” quote by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg)

> ““The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only four members of the assembly voted in opposition, all of them Anglo settler-states - the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.””

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage marked a historic recognition of Indigenous rights, with only a few settler nations opposing it.

**In simple terms:** Indigenous rights were officially recognized worldwide, despite opposition from four settler states.

Key Takeaway

Support and protect Indigenous rights globally.

Themes

human rights indigenous sovereignty international law colonial legacy

Mood

hopeful determined reflective

Type

historical political advocacy

When to use this quote

- policy advocacy
- education campaigns
- community organizing
- government negotiations

Key Concepts

decolonization self-determination legal recognition

Questions to Reflect On

- How can nations reconcile past injustices with current policies?
- What steps ensure the declaration translates into real change?

A Different Perspective

Opposition reflects ongoing colonial attitudes and political interests that can undermine implementation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Colonialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonialism/) [Indigenous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous/) [Indigenous Peoples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous-peoples/) [Indigenous-peoples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indigenous-peoples-2/) [New zealand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-zealand/) [Settlers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settlers/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/) [United states of america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states-of-america/)

## Related quotes

> [We must respect each other's right to choose a collective destiny, and the opportunity to develop the legal and political rights for Indigenous and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-huggins/we-must-respect-each-other-s-right-to-choose-a-collective-destiny-and/)

[Jackie Huggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-huggins/)

> [We are now facing a difficult situation in Peru, where there are attempts to cut back the territorial rights of the indigenous peoples, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evaristo-nugkuag/we-are-now-facing-a-difficult-situation-in-peru-where-there-are/)

Evaristo Nugkuag

> [In the present, the way benevolence is expressed is in conceptualizing the Native as a historical relic; US people have to be constantly reminded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/in-the-present-the-way-benevolence-is-expressed-is-in-conceptualizing/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“Of all of society's institutions, education has brought us to the current state of poor relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples; but if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-sinclair/of-all-of-society-s-institutions-education-has-brought-us-to-the/)

Murray Sinclair

> [“By comparison, the dispossession and destruction of Indigenous populations—which the Society, for one, consistently linked to slavery—was largely ignored by the public. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanos-geroulanos/by-comparison-the-dispossession-and-destruction-of-indigenous/)

Stefanos Geroulanos

> [“Adams has shown a nearly inexhaustible desire, leavened with an equal amount of sheer talent- five decades' worth and counting- in an unrelenting effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-wilkins/adams-has-shown-a-nearly-inexhaustible-desire-leavened-with-an-equal/)

David E. Wilkins

> [“It's been a relief to not have to fight so hard for at least a large group of us to question the old orthodoxy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/it-s-been-a-relief-to-not-have-to-fight-so-hard-for-at-least-a-large/)

[Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/)

> [“Now many of us celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day (instead of or along with Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, Family Feud and/or Family Fun and Games). I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/now-many-of-us-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day-instead-of-or-along/)

[Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/)

> [Most governments in Latin America have failed to recognize the rights of indigenous people and their right to their own traditional territories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/most-governments-in-latin-america-have-failed-to-recognize-the-rights/)

[Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/)

> [You have to look at what the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous people says which is free and prior informed consent. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/you-have-to-look-at-what-the-united-nations-declaration-of-rights-of/)

[Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/)

> [No climate plan can leave workers and communities behind nor trample the rights of Indigenous communities. Canadians must have opportunity and income security during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jagmeet-singh/no-climate-plan-can-leave-workers-and-communities-behind-nor-trample/)

[Jagmeet Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jagmeet-singh/)

> [“Andrew Jackson was the implementer of the final solution for the Indigenous peoples east of the Mississippi. Andrew”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/andrew-jackson-was-the-implementer-of-the-final-solution-for-the/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [The importance of the term "genocide" for many Indigenous Peoples is that it is more than a term or an accusation; it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-importance-of-the-term-genocide-for-many-indigenous-peoples-is/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“The form of colonialism that the Indigenous peoples of North America have experienced was modern from the beginning: the expansion of European corporations, backed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-form-of-colonialism-that-the-indigenous-peoples-of-north-america/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [The history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-history-of-the-united-states-is-a-history-of-settler-colonialism/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

## More by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

> [The history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-history-of-the-united-states-is-a-history-of-settler-colonialism/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-terminate-their-existence-as/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“the convention, any one of five acts is considered genocide if “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-convention-any-one-of-five-acts-is-considered-genocide-if/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“histories. Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) historian Jean O’Brien names this practice of writing Indians out of existence “firsting and lasting.” All over the continent, local histories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/histories-anishinaabe-ojibwe-historian-jean-o-brien-names-this/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“Everything in US history is about the land—who oversaw and cultivated it, fished its waters, maintained its wildlife; who invaded and stole it; how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/everything-in-us-history-is-about-the-land-who-oversaw-and-cultivated/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [Passionate, organized hatred is the element missing in all that we do to try to change the world. Now is the time to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/passionate-organized-hatred-is-the-element-missing-in-all-that-we-do/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [ How will the family unit be destroyed? ...\[T\]he demand alone will throw the whole ideology of the family into question, so that women can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/how-will-the-family-unit-be-destroyed-t-he-demand-alone-will-throw/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“warfare would be waged west of the Mississippi as it had been earlier against the Abenakis, Cherokees, Shawnees, Muskogees, and even Christian Indians. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/warfare-would-be-waged-west-of-the-mississippi-as-it-had-been-earlier/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [Investors, monarchies, and parliamentarians devised methods to control the processes of wealth accumulation and the power that came with it, but the ideology behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/investors-monarchies-and-parliamentarians-devised-methods-to-control/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“The objective of US colonialist authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples—not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-colonialist-authorities-was-to-terminate-their/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“Settler colonialism, as an institution or system, requires violence or the threat of violence to attain its goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/settler-colonialism-as-an-institution-or-system-requires-violence-or/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [The caste system, in all its various forms, is always based on identifiable physical characteristics - sex, color, age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-caste-system-in-all-its-various-forms-is-always-based-on/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [In the present, the way benevolence is expressed is in conceptualizing the Native as a historical relic; US people have to be constantly reminded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/in-the-present-the-way-benevolence-is-expressed-is-in-conceptualizing/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“Multiculturalism became the cutting edge of post-civil-rights-movement US history revisionism. For this scheme to work—and affirm US historical progress—Indigenous nations and communities had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/multiculturalism-became-the-cutting-edge-of-post-civil-rights/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

> [“this idea of the gift-giving Indian helping to establish and enrich the development of the United States is an insidious smoke screen meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/this-idea-of-the-gift-giving-indian-helping-to-establish-and-enrich/)

[Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

[Explore all 24 Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/)

## More Australia quotes

> [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/)

[Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I wanted to have a peaceful married life with my wife, so we both moved to Sydney in Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/i-wanted-to-have-a-peaceful-married-life-with-my-wife-so-we-both/)

[Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/)

> [It will be nice to play against Australia. It's a great country, and football is getting bigger and bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mata/it-will-be-nice-to-play-against-australia-it-s-a-great-country-and/)

[Juan Mata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mata/)

> [We don't have any sailors in Australia, we have rowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lexcen/we-don-t-have-any-sailors-in-australia-we-have-rowers/)

Ben Lexcen

> [I think that prosecuting some college kid because she shared a file is a lot like sending somebody to Australia 200 years ago for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-think-that-prosecuting-some-college-kid-because-she-shared-a-file/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [Sydney CBD is the eastern city, Parramatta is the central city and Badgerys will be the third city in greater Sydney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/sydney-cbd-is-the-eastern-city-parramatta-is-the-central-city-and/)

[Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/)

> [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [As a young kid you stay up late to watch the Ashes, getting told off for not being in bed, and dream of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/as-a-young-kid-you-stay-up-late-to-watch-the-ashes-getting-told-off/)

[Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/)

> [I love coming out to Australia, if it weren't so far away I would go all the time. I've worked with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-morillo/i-love-coming-out-to-australia-if-it-weren-t-so-far-away-i-would-go/)

[Erick Morillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-morillo/)

> [What I appreciated was the fact that the script delved into how Australians were - and still are - condescended to by the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/what-i-appreciated-was-the-fact-that-the-script-delved-into-how/)

[Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/)

> [Okay the names 360, I run around tipsy. My fellas in Australia all sit with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/360/okay-the-names-360-i-run-around-tipsy-my-fellas-in-australia-all-sit/)

 360

> [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/)

Marc Morano

> [I want to be part of the team that wins a Test series in England and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-want-to-be-part-of-the-team-that-wins-a-test-series-in-england-and/)

[Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/)

> [I was brought up in a Christian home in Australia with a father who was very bold about his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/i-was-brought-up-in-a-christian-home-in-australia-with-a-father-who/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

[Browse all 1,907 Australia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only four members of the assembly voted in opposition, all of them Anglo settler-states - the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Australia"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_australia_the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-ma_246537.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the…” — Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The global Indigenous cause reached a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
