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United Nations (Martínez Cobo report)

Martínez Cobo Study — Study of the Problem of Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations

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About

The Martínez Cobo Study — formally the Study of the Problem of Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations — was a landmark United Nations study by Special Rapporteur José R. Martínez Cobo for the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. Commissioned in the early 1970s, its final report was submitted in five volumes between 1981 and 1984; Chapter V set out a working definition of “Indigenous peoples” that remains widely cited today. The study also led, in 1982, to the creation of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

In the commons it is the foundational reference behind the definition of Indigenous and related terms in the Indigenous & Tribal Sovereignty chapter.

Data note: the year 1972 reflects the study’s commissioning; the definition-bearing final report dates to 1981–1984.

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Publication details

Work
Martínez Cobo Study — Study of the Problem of Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations
Published
1972
Copyright
© United Nations — United Nations document — public; cited and linked, not reproduced here.
Original URL
https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/publications/martinez-cobo-study
Commons access
Links out only
Added
May 2026

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