• There are approximately 300 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide.
• Indigenous Peoples are distinct communities: the land on which they live and the natural resources on which they depend are inextricably linked to their identities and cultures.
• Dispossession from the land or restriction of access to natural resources, therefore, brings not only economic impoverishment but also the loss of identity and threatens their cultural survival.

Indigenous Peoples are a significant and important portion of humanity. Their heritage, their ways of life, their stewardship of this planet, and their cosmological insights are an invaluable treasure house for us all.

The World Bank is honored to be working worldwide with Indigenous Peoples in global dialogue and in development projects.

The World Bank aims to promote Indigenous Peoples' development in a manner which ensures that the development process fosters full respect for the dignity, human rights, and uniqueness of Indigenous Peoples.