International Rights
Many of the principles and values underpinning WIPCE are reflected in the Coolangatta Statement and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning. [Article 14.1]
UN DeclarationCoolangatta Statement
The Coolangatta Statement was initiated at the 1993 WIPCE in Wollongong, NSW Australia. The statement takes its name from the mountain where the group assembled to draft the document for the 1993 conference.
The Coolangatta Statement was ratified by delegates at the 1999 WIPCE hosted by the Hawaiian people at Hilo.
The Statment will be updated at the 2020 WIPCE Conference in Australia.
Coolangatta Statement