RECOGNIZING: 
That the rights of indigenous peoples are both essential and of historic significance to the present and future of the Americas; 
The important presence in the Americas of indigenous peoples and their immense contribution to development, plurality, and cultural diversity and reiterating our commitment to their economic and social well-being, as well as the obligation to respect their rights and cultural identity; and 
That the existence of indigenous cultures and peoples of the Americas is important to humanity; and 
REAFFIRMING that indigenous peoples are original, diverse societies with their own identities that form an integral part of the Americas; 
CONCERNED that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests; 
RECOGNIZING the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources; 
 
RECOGNIZING FURTHER that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment; 
 
BEARING IN MIND the progress achieved at the international level in recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples, especially the 169 ILO Convention and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; 
BEARING IN MIND ALSO the progress made in nations of the Americas, at the constitutional, legislative, and jurisprudential levels to safeguard, promote, and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as the political will of states to continue their progress toward recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas.