• Shreya Sahu

Indigenous communities are not just the artistic subjects with a head-gear of any documentary or exotic painted faces of a cultural display. They are modern citizens with rights and voices existing in the border of the shared society. The rights of indigenous people in an international set-up have been centred around environmental protection or as a human right regime, but with the fast-paced world of rapid development, it becomes necessary to give a different perspective to the existing issues. The international framework measures development with the global trade. Indigenous communities are underrepresented and marginalized in global trade discussions and are encountered with substantial challenges to their political, economic, and cultural rights due to international trade agreements. This paper attempts to analyse the complex relation of indigenous rights with the emerging global trade, with a focus on issues such as economic exploitation, cultural marginalization, and controlled participation in decision-making processes. The paper also analyses the frameworks like WTO and TRIPS, which essentially perpetuate inequalities such as biopiracy and resource exploitation by prioritizing economic gains over indigenous values. The paper uses the concepts of self-determination, collective rights and contextual participation as the criteria to assess the participation of indigenous communities at international decision-making process. The paper further presents a case study of Softwood Lumber Dispute, as an illustration of gradual and significant integration of indigenous perspectives into trade disputes and also as an attempt to highlight the flaws in the present mechanism. The paper concludes by advocating a more inclusive and equitable approach to international legal framework for a more efficient representation and protection of indigenous communities in global trade dynamics.

ROOTS OF RESISTENCE: RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE GLOBAL TRADE

"ROOTS OF RESISTENCE: RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE GLOBAL TRADE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no.326-333, March-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRGT06026.pdf

"ROOTS OF RESISTENCE: RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN THE GLOBAL TRADE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no. pp326-333, March-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRGT06026.pdf