10 Aug, 2013

UN Stresses Importance Of Honouring Treaties With World’s 370m Indigenous People

Compiled by Imtiaz Muqbil

United Nations, Aug 9 2013 (UN News Centre) – Marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, United Nations officials today urged governments to honour the treaties and agreements established with their indigenous groups, stressing that respecting official policies is the only way to maintain peace and advance development.

EDITOR’S COMMENT Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil organised and moderated the first Indigenous Day panel discussion ever held at the ITB Berlin in March 2009.

“We must ensure the participation of indigenous peoples – women and men – in decision-making at all levels,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day (see full text below), adding that consensual agreements between States and indigenous groups “enable better understanding of their views and values and are essential for protecting and promoting rights and establishing the political vision and necessary frameworks for different cultures to coexist in harmony.”

With more than 5,000 distinct indigenous groups in some 90 countries, indigenous people make up more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, representing 370 million people.

The theme of this year’s World Indigenous Day – which has been marked annually on 9 August since 1995 – is “Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.” It aims to highlight the importance of honouring arrangements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples that were designed to recognize indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands and establish a framework for living in proximity and entering into economic relationships.

“It is important that we strive to strengthen partnerships that will help preserve cultural vigour while facilitating poverty reduction, social inclusion and sustainable development,” Mr. Ban said.

He noted that it is particularly important to involve indigenous groups in discussion regarding the post-2015 development agenda, ensuring their culture, identity and perspective are taken into account when defining priorities.

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, underlined that respecting treaties is crucial to advance reconciliation with indigenous peoples and address historical wrongs that have left them at a disadvantage. (See full text below).

“Honouring treaties and other long-standing agreements can go far in helping to build trust among indigenous peoples and to rebuild relationships between States and indigenous peoples in a true spirit of good faith, partnership, and mutual respect,” he said.

Mr. Anaya called on governments to respect all agreements – old and new – to provide a basis for reconciliation and overcome all obstacles to the full realization of indigenous people’s rights.

“In no instance should new treaties or agreements fall below or undermine the standards set forth in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or established in other international sources,” he said.

Adopted by the General Assembly in September 2007 after more than two decades of debate, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education, and other issues.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) drew attention to the challenges faced by indigenous girls and women in particular, with evidence showing that the experience of violence is heightened among females of indigenous background because of a myriad of barriers, including access to services such as health care, protection, birth registration and schooling.

In a news release (see full text below), the agency said it will scale up initiatives specifically targeted at enhancing the rights of indigenous children and adolescents. These include support to legal and policy reforms, bilingual education, and culturally-sensitive maternal health services and birth registration.

To mark the Day, more than 200 indigenous and non-indigenous paddlers will arrive today at Pier 96 in New York City, after having collectively travelled hundreds of miles on rivers and horseback to honour the Two Row Wampum treaty between Dutch immigrants and the Haudenosaunee, signed in 1613.

“The Two Row is the oldest and is the grandfather of all subsequent treaties,” said Oren Lyons, the Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation’s Turtle Clan, who has represented the Haudenosaunee at the UN and elsewhere. “It set a relationship of equity and peace. This campaign is to remind people of the importance of the agreements.”

“Broken treaties must become a thing of the past” – UN expert

GENEVA (9 August 2013) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, today urged Governments worldwide to respect all agreements – new and old – with indigenous peoples to provide a basis for much needed reconciliation and overcome all obstacles to the full realization of indigenous peoples’ rights.

“Indigenous peoples around the world face significant challenges that are related to widespread historical wrongs, including broken treaties and acts of oppression and misguided government policies, that today manifest themselves in disadvantages and impediments to the exercise of their individual and collective rights,” the expert said on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

“Full respect for treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements is a crucial element in advancing toward reconciliation with indigenous peoples,” he underscored, “and in addressing persistent deep-rooted problems related to historical wrongs, failed policies of the past, and continuing barriers to the full realization of indigenous peoples’ rights”.

The right of indigenous peoples to recognition and enforcement of treaties, agreements and other constrictive arrangements is a key right recognized in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. The Declaration preamble further recognizes that these rights are ‘the basis for a strengthened partnership between indigenous peoples and States.’

“Honouring treaties and other long-standing agreements can go far in helping to build trust among indigenous peoples and to rebuild relationships between States and indigenous peoples in a true spirit of good faith, partnership, and mutual respect,” he noted.

The Special Rapporteur stressed that this should be part of a broader dialogue, both at the international and national levels, “to help build understanding between indigenous peoples and others, and to help shift any persistent negative attitudes or misunderstandings about indigenous peoples and their rights.”

With respect to new treaties and agreements being developed, including in relation to extractive industries operating in or near indigenous lands, the UN expert underscored that these should be consistent with international standards concerning the rights of indigenous peoples, both in relation to indigenous participation in these processes as well as in terms of substantive outcomes.

“In no instance should new treaties or agreements fall below or undermine the standards set forth in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or established in other international sources,” he said. “Broken treaties must become a thing of the past,” he stressed.

The UN Human Rights Council appointed S. James Anaya as Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples in March 2008. Mr. Anaya is a Regents Professor and the James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of Arizona (United States). As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/SRIPeoplesIndex.aspx

See the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/RES/61/295&Lang=E

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is marked at an important time

NEW YORK, 7 August 2013 – UNICEF joins partners celebrating the 2013 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at an important time when the international community is preparing for the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and the review and resetting of the post-2015 development agenda.

The theme of the International Day this year is Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements Despite progress towards meeting some Millennium Development Goals, structural inequalities and social exclusion persist in some countries. Indigenous children are among the far too many who are being left behind.

Indigenous girls and women face a particularly complex and layered experience of discrimination and disadvantage.

Joint evidence building efforts among UN agencies including the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues highlights for example that the experience of violence is heightened among females of indigenous background because of a myriad of barriers confronting indigenous girls and women’s effort to access services such as health care, protection, birth registration and schooling.

The post-2015 agenda presents an important opportunity to move from inequality to inclusive, sustainable growth and human development that benefits us all. For reasons both principled and practical, human rights standards – and by extension indigenous peoples’ human rights – must be more strongly articulated across the future goals of the post-2015 framework.

UNICEF, particularly in its current role as the chair of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues, looks forward to contributing to the development of a concise and action-oriented outcome document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

As part of a broader effort to help indigenous young people become more knowledgeable on the content of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), UNICEF will continue to support and welcome the translation of the recently launched adolescent-friendly UNDRIP into indigenous and other UN languages so that they are better equipped to secure their rights.

UNICEF will also scale-up tested initiatives specifically targeted at enhancing the rights of indigenous children and adolescents. These include support to legal and policy reforms, bilingual education, and culturally sensitive maternal health services and birth registration.

UNICEF looks forward to continued collaboration with all of its partners in taking forward the process of realizing the rights of indigenous children everywhere.

UN Chief: Post-2015 Agenda Must Incorporate Rights, Perspectives, Needs of Indigenous Peoples

6 August 2013 – Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, observed on 9 August:

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we highlight the importance of honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples. Such consensual arrangements enable better understanding of their views and values and are essential for protecting and promoting rights and establishing the political vision and necessary frameworks for different cultures to coexist in harmony.

Indigenous peoples represent remarkable diversity — more than 5,000 distinct groups in some 90 countries. They make up more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, some 370 million people. It is important that we strive to strengthen partnerships that will help preserve cultural vigour while facilitating poverty reduction, social inclusion and sustainable development.

We must ensure the participation of indigenous peoples — women and men — in decision-making at all levels. This includes discussions on accelerating action towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and defining the post-2015 development agenda. Indigenous peoples have made clear that they want development that takes into account culture and identity and the right to define their own priorities. The post-2015 development agenda needs therefore to incorporate the rights, perspectives and needs of indigenous peoples.

Next year’s World Conference on Indigenous Peoples offers an opportunity to advance the cause of indigenous peoples everywhere. I urge Member States to take concrete steps to address the challenges facing indigenous peoples, especially their marginalization and exclusion, by honouring all commitments and examining what more can be done. Let us work together to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights and support their aspirations. Let us create a world that values the wealth of human diversity and nurtures the potential it offers.

Declaration by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union

European Commission, Brussels, 9 August 2013 – “Today, as we celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we reaffirm the EU’s support to them across the globe. We join them in celebrating their rich cultural heritage, and pay tribute to the enormous contribution their traditions and knowledge have made to the world’s cultural heritage. The EU has always been a staunch supporter of the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration is a key tool for promoting human rights, but the challenge remains in putting it into practice. Regrettably, discrimination against and unequal treatment of indigenous peoples continues around the world. The EU pays tribute to defenders of indigenous peoples’ rights, who in many countries are exposed to particular risks and acute repression, as shown by numerous international reports, including reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

The EU seeks to integrate human rights into all aspects of its external policies. The EU raises the rights of indigenous peoples wherever relevant in its political dialogues with third countries and regional organisations, and at multilateral forums such as the United Nations. It also gives financial support to civil society projects, to indigenous peoples’ delegates at UN bodies and relevant activities of the ILO. This year, the EU has launched a call for proposals under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) with the aim of promoting rights of indigenous peoples. It is also committed to review and further develop its policy in the run-up to the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.”