The UK government refuses to ratify the convention on the basis that there are no tribal peoples in the country. However, this has not prevented Spain and the Netherlands from doing so.
The UK has operations all over the world, particularly in the form of the ‘development’ projects it funds. Ratifying ILO 169 would commit the government to basic standards of consultation, ensuring that tribal peoples have a say in projects that affect them. This would also extend to British companies working in countries with tribal peoples.
Last year, the UK government voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When it did so, it recognised the protection of indigenous peoples as a legitimate matter of concern for the entire international community.
As a member of that international community, the UK can best express its concern by ratifying the only law that offers real protection to tribal peoples. There is no reason for the UK government not to ratify the convention, other than a reluctance to commit to the protection of tribal peoples.
