Indigenous Peoples and International Trade:  Building an equitable and inclusive International Trade and Investment Agreement

Edited by John Borrows and Risa Schwartz

Cambridge University Press, June 2020

Book description:

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is seen primarily as an international human rights instrument.

However, the Declaration also encompasses cultural, social and economic rights. Taken in the context of international trade and investment, the UN Declaration is a valuable tool to support economic self-determination of Indigenous peoples.

This volume explores the emergence of Indigenous peoples’ participation in international trade and investment, as well as how it is shaping legal instruments in environment and trade, intellectual property and traditional knowledge.

One theme that is explored is agency. From amicus interventions at the World Trade Organization to developing a future precedent for a ‘Trade and Indigenous Peoples Chapter’, Indigenous peoples are asserting their right to patriciate in decision-making.

The authors, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts on trade and investment legal, provide needed ideas and recommendations for governments, academia and policy thinkers to achieve economic reconciliation.

Braiding Legal Orders: Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Edited by: Oonagh E. Fitzgerald, John Borrows, Larry Chartrand, Risa Schwartz

McGill-Queen’s University Press, June  2019

This collection contains an  examination of international, Indigenous, and Canadian constitutional law relating to the Implementation in Canada of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Consistenting of short essays written by leading Indigenous legal scholars and policy leaders., Braiding Legal Orders is a pivotal opportunity to explore the relationship between international law, Indigenous peoples’ own laws, and Canada’s constitutional narratives.