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Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Sixteenth Session - 2nd Meeting
While progress had been made on a range of pressing challenges amid the world’s embrace of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, far more must be done to ensure that indigenous peoples were not left behind, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues heard today, during the opening of its sixteenth session.
Mariam Wallet Mohamed Aboubakrine (Burkina Faso), newly elected Chair of the sixteenth session, said that, while modest progress had been seen since the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, fresh attention was needed to its implementation. The current session, running until 5 May, would focus on the theme “the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, she added.
As an advisory body of the Economic and Social Council, the Permanent Forum had an important role in the follow-up to and review of the 2030 Agenda, she said. “The odds we face in getting our rights respected and our self-determined development operationalized are many,” she added. “Thus, the approach is to strengthen partnerships so that we can consolidate and expand on our gains.”
Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, stated: “We have responded,” in regard to the request by indigenous peoples and Member States for increased engagement by the United Nations system. Citing the Organization’s initiatives across 17 agencies, he said such efforts would continue through the new international development phase guided by the 2030 Agenda.
Nonetheless, there was always room for improvement, he said. Describing the Declaration as a “road map”, he noted that indigenous peoples continued disproportionately to suffer poverty, discrimination and poor health care. “Their collective and individual rights are too often denied. This is unacceptable. We can do better. We must do better,” he stressed.
Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN-Women, highlighted the place of indigenous women and girls in the discussions and outcomes of the most recent session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Appealing to Member States to contribute to ongoing efforts and support further progress, she said the international community could no longer tolerate a situation in which such precious stakeholders and actors for sustainable development were not only left behind, but also the furthest to reach.
Durga Prasad Bhattarai (Nepal), Vice-President of the General Assembly, also noted that far more needed to be done to fully realize the human rights of indigenous peoples. Underscoring the importance of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, he said targeted strategies would ensure that indigenous peoples could fully participate in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Elaborating on that point, Cristián Barros Melet (Chile), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, said that, although the 2030 Agenda pledged to leave no one behind, voluntary national reviews on implementation of the Goals highlighted that very risk for indigenous peoples. The Forum could make a significant contribution to the next high-level political forum on sustainable development, he said, encouraging indigenous peoples to be more involved in the realization of the 2030 Agenda.
Providing a national perspective, Canada’s Minister for Indigenous and Northern Affairs said her delegation included seven indigenous parliamentarians, and that several indigenous leaders from Canada had played a significant role at the United Nations. Reconciliation and decolonization were ongoing journeys that must feel like a partnership, although partisanship and ideology remained obstacles. “In Canada, we understand that reconciliation must include all Canadians,” she said. “It’s not just an indigenous issue. It is, for us, a Canadian imperative.” Going forward, all voices must be heard at the United Nations, including those of opposition parties and indigenous leaders.
As the Permanent forum’s afternoon meeting commenced, Les Malezar, Permanent Forum member from Australia, paid tribute to four people — Augusto Williamson-Diaz, Erica Irene-Daes, Henriette Rasmussen and Rodolfo Stavenhagen — who had worked towards the Declaration and who had passed away over the past year and a half. They, among others, should be remembered for their efforts which enabled indigenous peoples to celebrate the Declaration as a standard of equality and non-discrimination, he said.
Following that, ministers, senior officials and representatives of Member States, international bodies and non-governmental organizations participated in a discussion on measures taken to implement the Declaration.
South Africa’s Deputy Minister from that country’s department on traditional affairs noted that it might be time to consider the possibility of a legally binding convention on the rights of indigenous peoples. Other speakers drew attention to the particular situations in their respective countries. Some also noted how few countries had ratified the International Labour Organization’s Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, also known as ILO 169, since its adoption in 1989.
The Permanent Forum also adopted the agenda (document E/C.19/2017/1) and the organization of work (document E./C.9/2017/L.1), and elected the following Vice-Chairs: Phoolman Chaudhary, Jens Dahl, Jesus Guadalupe Fuentes Blanca and Terri Henry. It also elected Brian Keane as Rapporteur.
As the meeting commenced, Mónica Michelena Díaz from Uruguay sounded the traditional conch to signal the opening of the sixteenth session. Tadodaho Sid Hill, Chief of the Onondaga Nation, delivered his ceremonial welcome statement, emphasizing that all living beings must live as one. The Creator had known that the peoples of Earth needed help and had provided protectors to watch over them. Giving thanks to the Earth, sky and the protectors, he asked all participants to do the same.
Also speaking were representatives of Cameroon, El Salvador (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and in its national capacity), Botswana, Venezuela, Norway, Mexico, Guyana, Bolivia, Colombia, Finland, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Australia, Panama, Cuba, Russian Federation and Guatemala. An observer of the Holy See also spoke.
Representatives of the Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and International Fund for Agricultural Development also spoke.
Other speakers today were representatives of the Australian Human Right Commission, International Indian Treaty Council, Indigenous Network on Economics and Trade, Te Hiko o Papauma Mandated Iwi Authority, Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association, Caribbean Amerindian Development Organization, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Congrès Mondial Amazigh, Tonatierra, Indigenous Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean, Boro Women’s Justice Forum, Assyrian Aid Society in Iraq, Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation and Two Feathers International.
Permanent Forum members and experts from Australia, Ecuador and Peru spoke, as well.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 25 April, to continue its work.
