World Council of Indigenous Peoples

The World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was a formal international body dedicated to having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale. The WCIP had observer status in the United Nations, a secretariat based in Canada and represented over 60,000,000 Indigenous peoples worldwide.

The council dealt with the economic, cultural, political, and social rights of indigenous peoples, along with the retention of their land and natural resources. Before dissolving in 1996 the WCIP was a powerful force for indigenous peoples, giving its members a concrete experience in international politics.