press conference on United Nations declaration on rights of indigenous peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was an instrument of great value through which to advance the rights and aspirations of the world’s more than 370 million indigenous peoples, Elsa Stamatopoulou, Secretariat Chief of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said at a Headquarters press conference today.

Discussing the current status of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, she said it emphasized the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue development in keeping with their needs and aspirations.  Adopted on 29 June 2006 during the inaugural session of the Human Rights Council, the draft Declaration had been more than 20 years in the making.  Last May, the Permanent Forum had recommended that the General Assembly adopt the draft Declaration during its sixty-first session.

Quoting the Secretary-General, she said the rights and aspirations of the world’s indigenous peoples had been ignored for far too long.  However, the past three decades had witnessed a sea change in global attitudes.  With numbers exceeding 370 million in more than 70 countries, indigenous peoples make up about 5 per cent of the world’s population.

Accompanying Ms. Stamatopoulou were Enrique Berruga, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations; Aqqaluk Lynge, President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and Vice-Chairman of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference International; and Kent Lebsock, Executive Director of the American Indian Law Alliance.

Mr. Berruga described the draft Declaration as a landmark achievement in fulfilling the long-standing demands of indigenous peoples.  It recognized their rights -– once historically denied -- of intercultural heritage; traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions; the right to the land, territories and resources traditionally owned; the right to live according to their own political systems and institutions; and the right to participate in the State decision-making process.  With its profound indigenous roots and a multicultural composition, Mexico remained fully convinced that the spirit of co-existence, respect and harmony were crucial to the relationship between States and indigenous peoples.

Mr. Lynge urged all Member States to adopt the draft Declaration without amendments, saying that although the doors of the United Nations had been closed to indigenous peoples for decades, a vote in favour of adoption would be “a vote to open the doors to indigenous people once and for all”.

Mr. Lebsock said the draft Declaration was one of the first true people’s movements within the United Nations system.  “We kicked down the doors in 1977 and the working group was established in 1984.  It’s time to pass this Declaration.”

Asked about the meaning of multicultural diplomacy, Mr. Berruga said it meant respect and co-existence among various philosophies, points of view, traditions, customs and ways of understanding life. 

To a question about what was being done to educate tribes, he said that Mexico provided information in 35 languages there, which was important as language served both as a way to convey values and a way to perceive life that must be preserved.

Asked which countries had not offered support for the draft Declaration, Mr. Lebsock listed Canada, New Zealand, the United States and Australia.  France and the United Kingdom were “coming and going” allies.

Ms. Stamatopoulou added in reference to France that the European Union had indeed made a statement in the General Assembly supporting the adoption of the draft Declaration.

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