The UN General Assembly Thursday overwhelmingly supported the rights of indigenous peoples around the world to freely chose their political status and pursue economic, social and cultural development, according to DPA. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples calls for the right to self-determination, including "right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions." "Every indigenous individual has the right to a nationality," the declaration says. The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which have sizable communities of indigenous, voted against the measure, reported the DPA.
