Background
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues met this afternoon to discuss its future work. (For background information see Press Release HR/4658, issued on
8 May.)
Statements
MARSHA MONESTERSKY, on behalf of Sovereign Dineh Nation and Haudenosaunee Ska-Roh-Reh Ambassador to the United Nations, Douglas Anderson, said indigenous rights were systematically violated, even when they were recognized by law. Stressing that such violations had led to the loss of land, access to clean water, and environmental destruction, she said the Forum should ensure that indigenous claims were heard and investigated. She was convinced that the Forum could be a powerful tool in achieving justice and equality, but it must establish a formal complaint procedure, as well as a formal protocol for documentation and record keeping.
She recommended that the Forum establish a commission of scholars and specialists to identify and draft a complaint procedure. It should also establish a commission to organize a system of recording keeping and documentation.
NICOLE HETU recommended that the Forum insist that the Government of Canada accept responsibility for colonization enforced on the First Nation. To that end, an indigenous knowledge base should be created in conjunction with indigenous peoples. The history of the country was perpetuated today via instruments of mass education. That history consisted of an historically biased narrative that continued to tell a derogatory story. Until youth were given the opportunity to learn the truth, justice and democracy could not be achieved for future generations. Indigenous education must be made available for all Canadians so that they could share the true history of colonization.
RONALD BARNES, speaking on behalf of the Majority Caucus, said self-determination was the underlying principle that encompassed all aspects of decision-making for all issues that were vital for the recognition, protection and survival of indigenous peoples. Self-determination was a matter of critical urgency for those that were victims of militarization and violence. In this context, he fully believed that a full discussion of the right to self-determination would move the process in the deliberations of the Working Group on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. He therefore recommended the theme “The right to self-determination” for the third Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2004.
WILLIAM UNDERBAGGAGE, speaking on behalf of the Indigenous Nations Network, Tetunwa Oyate and Oglala Lakota Nation, recommended the holding of an Indigenous Peoples of the Americas Peace Summit. He recommended that a task force be created to assist indigenous peoples to find their work to protect their legacy for future generations.
JANET BEAVER, of the Canadian Teacher’s Federation and Education International, recommended that indigenous children be funded to make presentations at the next meeting of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. She also recommended that the Forum hold regional meetings with indigenous people to prioritize issues identified by indigenous people, and to develop an action plan to guide the future work of the Forum. She also stressed that the Forum’s future success was dependent on an appropriate budget allocation from the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as the support of Member States. She called on all Forum participants to urgently adopt the draft on the rights of indigenous peoples.
A representative of the Indigenous Youth Caucus said the Caucus of Indigenous People 2003 had agreed to continue its work on indigenous issues within the framework of the United Nations. The United Nations could draft norms to protect indigenous people, and could mobilize international organizations. It was important for indigenous people to travel throughout the world, and the Forum should maintain the Working Group on the Rights of Indigenous Populations.
REBECCA SUMMER, speaking on behalf of several indigenous organizations, said that all United Nations agencies should act now to adopt policies on indigenous peoples. They should also include indigenous focal points within each United Nations specialized agency. She recommended using monitoring mechanisms on the implementation of the Forum’s recommendations from its first and second sessions. The Forum should focus on dialogue rather than on testimony statements, she said.
The representative of the Pacific Caucus said that she hoped all delegations would seek to bring youth to the Forum every year. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples should continue to be supported, and she called for immediate adoption of the Declaration by all governments as a sign of their support for human rights. She also asked that a media service be invited to provide simultaneous broadcast of the Forum meetings, so people around the world could know what work was being done in this sphere. It would also be helpful to have e-mail reports from the Forum’s secretariat for all those that had attended the Forum. The Pacific Caucus would also like regional interventions to be posted on Web sites for all to read.
The representative of Venezuela said issues relating to indigenous people were a priority for his Government, which fully supported all initiatives aimed at promoting the rights of indigenous peoples. The county’s constitution recognized the identity of indigenous people and their right to traditional lands. Venezuela allowed indigenous people to be represented in government, and they had a true political platform as well as a functioning legal framework. Indigenous people must determine their own fate and produce and implement programmes allowing them to develop. Policies had been established to strengthen the health of indigenous people, and a medical guide had been published on indigenous medicine.
A representative of the Asia Indigenous People’s Caucus said indigenous women were carriers of indigenous culture and identity. It was timely that the current focus was on indigenous women and the problems that they faced. She recommended that the Forum make indigenous women and their place in development a theme for the next session. She also recommended that the Forum carry out a study to examine the intensity and variety of problems faced by indigenous women. It should also engage in an interactive dialogue with the United Nations system on how to address the concerns of indigenous women.
TRACY WHARE, representative of the Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust, asked that the Forum monitor the work of the United Nations Charter and Treaty bodies to ensure that the jurisprudence was consistent with indigenous peoples’ human rights. The forum should recommend that States consult with indigenous peoples prior to presenting their reports to the Charter and Treaty bodies. For example, the Government of New Zealand failed to consult sufficiently with the Maori people before presenting its periodic report to the Human Rights Charter body last year.
The representative of
Colombia said the indigenous peoples of Columbia numbered 780,000 inhabitants, and 82 groups, speaking 64 different languages. Only 13 per cent lived in territories without any property. The largest numbers of indigenous peoples lived in the important environmental areas. His country had a law protecting the equality of all cultures existing on Columbia’s territory. Many indigenous peoples were members of their own health regimes set up by their own communities. The Government was working to improve the human rights situation in Colombia and offered protection for indigenous peoples who were victims of discrimination and violence.
