The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2007. The Declaration is a culmination of over twenty years of work that began in earnest at the Working Group, which began the drafting of the declaration in 1985. More than 400 Indigenous organizations participated in the Working Group of the Commission annually, including the Grand Council of the Crees.

The Declaration is the most comprehensive statement of the rights of Indigenous peoples ever developed, giving prominence to collective rights to a degree unprecedented in international human rights law. The adoption of this instrument is the clearest indication yet that the international community is committing itself to the protection of the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples.

The text recognizes the wide range of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous peoples.

The UN Declaration is currently a consensus international human rights instrument. No country in the world formally opposes it.

The Cree Justice and Correctional Services Department works to ensure that the key principles set forth in the Declaration are embodied in the manner in which we deal with governments, so that the highest level of social justice is assured.