The World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) was a formal international body dedicated to having concepts of aboriginal rights accepted on a worldwide scale.
The WCIP believes that indigenous peoples have experienced a shared history of intimidation, threat, deprivation, injustice, discrimination and genocide, and have felt themselves threatened by extinction.
They seek rights to self-determination and self-government, as the WCIP believes that colonialism has rendered them vulnerable to domination and control by more powerful nations and peoples.
"[1] George Manuel, President of the National Indian Brotherhood and member of the Shuswap Tribe of British Columbia, had travelled with Jean Chrétien to New Zealand.
In May 1974 the NIB was granted NGO status by the Economic and Social Council of the UN, based on the fact that there was not yet another international organization of indigenous peoples in existence.
Representatives were present from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Greenland, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden, the United States and Venezuela.
Finally, the conference resolved to prepare a study of the problems of discrimination against Indigenous peoples, and decided that the WCIP would take over the NGO status of the NIB.