1. To promote evidence based policymaking.
2. To encourage quality research based on partnerships with Indigenous peoples.
3. To develop networks of policy researchers and policy makers, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and their communities.
4. To improve scholarship related to Indigenous issues.
5. To spark debate on important policy issues facing countries and peoples around the world.

At its founding two years ago, we felt it was an important time to take up the development of the IIPJ because we saw growing similarity in the challenges facing Indigenous peoples worldwide and yet no dedicated peer-reviewed forum for discussion of these challenges. Whether we look at health, educational attainment, development, social welfare, or any of the many key issues facing peoples of this world, we find important and common concerns being expressed by Indigenous peoples and their communities. This journal aims to expose the policy issues related to these concerns by encouraging and giving expression to the very best research, which can then be used as an evidence base to guide policy making. We are also concerned that research and policy be developed in an ethical manner by taking into direct consideration needs and concerns of the peoples themselves.

The year 2011 was an important year for the Journal. We introduced our new website; now housed on a more interactive and secure server. We introduced many new services, including the automatic reply system for authors, reviewers, and editors. Our searchable database became active on our website. We launched a worldwide advertising campaign. And we published three special issues on the topics of health and well-being, truth and reconciliation, and spirituality and traditional knowledge.

In 2011, we had almost 12,000 full-text downloads of articles published in the Journal.

We plan to continue building on our success in 2012. Our readership continues to grow. In the first seven weeks of 2012, we had 2,396 full-text downloads of articles published to date. In addition to a new general edition published in March, we have two special editions in production looking at drinking water for Indigenous communities and development in Indigenous territories.

We continue to expand our board of regional editors. We currently have IIPJ Associates networking with colleagues in Central America and Brazil. In the upcoming two years, we plan to develop special issues with regional foci. Our regional editors would serve as guest editors on these special editions. Toward our goal of making our journal accessible to scholars around the world, we plan to begin publishing papers in languages other than English along with a detailed English abstract.

We continue to offer authors exceptional service including a turnaround of less than 60 days for new submissions and posting of accepted articles within very reasonable time frames.

We invite you to become a member of IIPJ by subscribing to our email announcement list so you will be notified when new articles or editorials are posted. We respect your privacy. We will never share your information with third parties. You can also like us on Facebook as a way of staying connected with the Journal and other Indigenous researchers and policy makers around the world.

Jerry White
Editor-in-Chief