Fourth World nations receded into the background of international affairs in the 19th century as states assumed a stronger and eventually dominant place in the international space. By the mid-20th century Fourth World nations began to resume their role as subjects of international law and discourse; and during the years following the end of World War II, these nations claimed and began to request and then demand a place in international relations. As global subject matter emphasized human rights and then later emerging problems of biodiversity and climate change, Fourth World nations became an identifiable subject identified as “indigenouspeoples.” This article examines the changes in global discourse, organization, and emphasis on the rights of indigenous peoples revealing a gap between Fourth World nations and UN Member States in which the subject of sovereign authority and self-government became a point of contention. Beyond human rights, the political rights of Fourth World nations evolved to the point where these nations are themselves being challenged to assume a role of political equality with states at the United Nations. Whether the nations are prepared to accept the role that they have claimed they want is the challenge they must meet as they form an international Fourth WorldStrategy.
Rudolph C. Rÿser (Wed,) studied this question.