OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT HEADQUARTERS TODAY

OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT HEADQUARTERS TODAY

NEW YORK, 8 August –- Today, for the seventh time, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People will be observed at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  Each year, hundreds of indigenous people gather at the United Nations on 9 August to observe the occasion.  The International Day was designated by the General Assembly in 1994 to be observed each year throughout the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004), which was established by the General Assembly the same year.  Activities at United Nations Headquarters for the International Day include ceremonial events, such as the traditional Sacred Pipe Ceremony, performances by indigenous musicians, greetings and blessings from indigenous elders, and panels and workshops on various topics.  This year, both the panel and the working groups will focus on the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues recently established by the Economic and Social Council.

The date of 9 August was chosen because it is the anniversary of the first meeting in 1982 of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, and is consequently viewed by many as the beginning of United Nations efforts on behalf of indigenous peoples.  In the 1970s, the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities requested that a special study be undertaken regarding the problems of discrimination against indigenous peoples.  As a result of that work, by Special Rapporteur José Martínez Cobo (Ecuador), the Sub-Commission established the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.  The Working Group is made up of five independent experts and meets annually.  Its mandate is twofold:  to review national developments and to develop international standards relating to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. 

International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People: Partnership in Action

The purpose of the International Decade as described by the General Assembly is to strengthen international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health.  In adopting the programme of activities for the Decade, the General Assembly recognized the value and the diversity of the cultures and the forms of social organization of the world’s indigenous people.  It also recognized that the protection of the rights of indigenous people would contribute to the socio-economic, cultural and environmental advancement of the countries in which they lived.  The International Decade is a time for the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations and other groups to focus on and commit themselves to the promotion and protection of the human rights of indigenous people.  It is also a time to emphasize the role of indigenous people as decision-makers and as beneficiaries of national, regional and international development activities.  The theme of the Decade is “Indigenous people: partnership in action”.

The Permanent Forum and the Draft Declaration

Two central objectives of the International Decade are:

-- The establishment of a permanent forum for indigenous people, as called for by the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, and

-- The adoption of the draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people.

The Economic and Social Council, on 28 July 2000, adopted a resolution to establish the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.  This past July, the Council decided that the new Permanent Forum is to meet for the first time from 6 to

17 May 2002 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

The draft Declaration, which was approved by the Sub-Commission in 1994, is now under consideration by a working group established by the Human Rights Commission.  In addition to restating the basic protections of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the draft Declaration would protect specific rights as applicable to indigenous people, such as freedom of religious practices, customs, ceremonies, freedom of access to their property and sacred places; land rights and environment; language and oral traditions; self determination and participation in decision-making; and access to education in their own language.  It would prohibit relocation and imposed assimilation or integration, and it states that treaties between indigenous people and Governments should be honoured and that indigenous people are entitled to restitution for losses imposed on them.

Special Rapporteur Appointed

Another extremely important development is the recent decision by the Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people.  In June of this year, High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson announced the appointment of Rodolfo Stavenhagen of Mexico.  Mr. Stavenhagen, with degrees in sociology and anthropology, has earned international prestige for his experience, independence and his demonstrated commitment to the human rights of indigenous people.  Most recently, he was the Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor at Harvard University.  

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

The programme of activities for the International Decade calls for efforts to educate both indigenous and non-indigenous societies about indigenous people, their history, situation, cultures, languages, rights, aspirations and contemporary issues of concern.  The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is thus a fitting occasion for intergovernmental and non-governmental groups to work with indigenous people and other interested parties to organize activities that contribute to the realization of that goal.  

The annual activities at Headquarters in New York are a collaborative effort.  The events are co-sponsored by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Department of Public Information, the NGO Committee for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People and other interested United Nations specialized agencies or funds.  This year there are many, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP), the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank.

Since the first observance of the International Day in 1995, numerous indigenous groups have sent representatives or messages to the United Nations for the occasion.  Messages have come from many peoples, such as, from North America, the Cree, Shaghticoke, Mohegan, Naragansett, Mic Mac, Apache, Diné (Navajo), Lenape, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, and members of the Iroquois Six Nations Confederacy; from South America, the Quechua, Aymara, Colla, Shuar, Mapuche and Kawaskar; from Central America and the Caribbean, the Taino, Maya, Arawak, and Garifuna; from Asia and the Pacific, the native Hawaiians, aboriginal Australians, Igarot, Mon Myanmar, Moro, Lumad and Maranao; from Africa, the Maasai; and from the Circumpolar region: the Sami, the Finno-Ugric peoples and the Inuit.

Past indigenous participants have included Tony Gonzalez of the International Indian Treaty Council; Catherine Montet (Maasai); Anthony Hunter (Shinnecock) of the American Indian Community House; Elija Harper of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples; Ray Apodaca (Laguana Pueblo) of the International Indian Law Resource Center; Fabian Muenala (Quechua) of the Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas del Ecuador (CONAIE); Joyce King Mitchell (Mohawk), and Beatrice Schultess (Colla) of the Earth Council.

For further information, please contact:  New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, NY 10017, tel: (212) 963-5930;

fax: (212) 963-5931; and United Nations Department of Public Information,

Development and Human Rights Section, tel: (212) 963-3771; fax: (212) 963-1186.

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