[3] Organized by IITC in 1977, the International NGO Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas was held from September 20-23, 1977, in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

The IITC's work includes supporting grassroots Indigenous struggles for human rights, self-determination and environmental justice through information dissemination, networking, coalition building, advocacy and technical assistance.

The IITC aims to build, organize and facilitate the participation of Indigenous Peoples in local, regional, national and international events and gatherings addressing their concerns and survival.

Since the mid-1970s, IITC has organized the Indigenous Peoples' Sunrise Ceremony, an annual gathering held on the island of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, in the United States of America.

People who have been involved with the IITC over time include Jimmie Durham, Paul Chaat Smith, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Bill Wahpepah (Sac & Fox), Hinewirangi Kohu Morgan, Bumpy Kanahele and Executive Director Andrea Carmen.