NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PARTICIPATION OF 12 ORGANIZATIONS IN WORKING GROUP DRAFTING DECLARATION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS
Press Release
NGO/270
NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PARTICIPATION OF 12 ORGANIZATIONS IN WORKING GROUP DRAFTING DECLARATION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS
19960202 The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations this morning recommended that the Economic and Social Council permit 12 organizations to take part in the working group of the Commission on Human Rights which is elaborating a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.The Committee's action was taken pursuant to Council resolution 1995/32, which established the working group with a view to achieving the adoption of a declaration by the General Assembly within the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The working group held its first session in November 1995 and will meet again in November 1996.
The non-governmental organizations recommended for participation in the working group are the following: New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (Australia); Innu Nation and Mamit Innuat (Canada); Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (India); Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Campaign (India); Lumad Mindanaw Peoples Federation (Philippines); and Tribal Communities Association (Philippines). Also recommended were six Bolivian organizations: Centro Cultural de Jovenes Aymaras de Larecaja; Asociacion Socio-Economico de Productores Indigenas del Tawantinsuyu "A-SEPIITA"; Confederacion Sindical Unica de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia; Movimiento Indio "Tupac Katari"; Confederacion Indigena del Oriente, Chaco y Amazonia de Bolivia; and Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac-Katari de Liberacion.
Also this morning, the Committee again deferred action on the application for consultative status by International Energy Foundation and on the quadrennial reports from Pax Christi International and Liberal International, after reservations were expressed by some Committee members.
On the Foundation's application, the representative of the United States said she had asked for the names of the institutions that contributed funds to that organization and the response received had not satisfied her.
Ireland's representative said he had further questions to ask to the Foundation before the Committee decided on whether to recommend consultative status for it.
Regarding the quadrennial report of Pax Christi, the representative of China expressed dissatisfaction with the written answers to questions on Tibet. The organization's allegations that human rights were being abused in Tibet did not conform with reality; however, Pax Christi had failed to admit their inaccuracy. Contrary to Pax Christi's letter that its references to "self-determination" in relation to Tibet were mainly theoretical in nature, its statements in other forums had shown that they had a specific design.
The representative of Pax Christi said that his organization's reply on the issue had been an appropriate and adequate representation of how it felt. He cited it thus: "Statements from the movement on the rights of peoples to self-determination have been mainly theoretical in nature rather than specific to Tibet."
The representative of the United Kingdom said that the Committee was not meant to see if its members agreed with all comments by non-governmental organizations. The reports were supposed to show the Committee that the organizations really existed and engaged in activity.
The representative of Greece asked for an explanation about the Romanian Greek Catholic Church cited in the Pax Christi report. The church did not seem to exist, he said. The Pax Christi representative said he would ask his Brussels headquarters for an answer.
The Russian Federation's representative sought more information on the organization from the Secretariat, while Sudan's asked for time to study the Pax Christi reply before talking on it.
On the report from Liberal International, the representative of China again took exception to the organization's references to Taiwan. He stressed that Taiwan was a province of China, a fact that was widely accepted.
Cuba's representative said that when non-governmental organizations came to the United Nations, they should abide by its rules. He wondered what were the motivations and activities of Union Liberal Cubana. Liberal International, which had once written that Union Liberal was based in Cuba, had stated later that it was based in Spain.
The non-governmental organization had given ample replies and the fact that some delegations did not like them was up to them, the representative of Ireland said. There was a significant difference between disagreeing with an organization and trying to impose views on it. Liberal International was a non-governmental organization and views were not those of a government. He expressed concern at the continued questioning of opinions held by non- governmental organizations. The United States' representative supported Ireland, adding that the fact that Liberal International did not have a
Committee on NGOs - 3 - Press Release NGO/270 590th Meeting (AM) 2 February 1996
position on the status of Taiwan should not be used to hold up its report. There should be no efforts to make non-governmental organizations conform with governments' views.
Once non-governmental organizations were before the United Nations or one of its subsidiary bodies, they should abide by the Charter of the United Nations or be criticized if they flouted it, the representative of Sudan said.
The representative of the United Kingdom said that further communications with Liberal International should state that some delegations, and not the entire Committee, had sought more information. It should also be stated that other delegations were satisfied.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to conclude its resumed session.
* *** *