Showdown over UN declaration

United States opposes declaration on Native rightsThe stage is set for a showdown at the United Nations between countries favoring adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples and a handful of nations--including the United States--that are actively opposing it.

The nations opposing the declaration are the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia and New Zealand--countries with large populations of indigenous peoples who own significant land and resources, including the 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States.