Message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous People
Mr. José Antonio Ocampo,
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and
Coordinator of the Second International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People
9 August 2005
The Secretary-General has entrusted me with the role of Coordinator for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. I have humbly accepted this role as a great honour and a major responsibility. For I believe this Second Decade poses a critical test: can we move irreversibly from commitment to action to markedly improve the situation of the world’s indigenous peoples?
As Coordinator, I am helping the Secretary-General to prepare the Plan of Action for the Second Decade, which he will submit to the General Assembly this fall. From the recently concluded Fourth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a clear consensus has emerged that the Plan of Action should take a human rights approach to development, centered on the concept of development with respect for indigenous perspectives and identity. And it should aim, on a priority basis, to finalize and secure the adoption of a Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The real measure of our performance will be the progress we achieve on the ground, in indigenous communities. For a crucial part of that effort, we already have a plan at the ready. In the UN Development Agenda, that has emerged from the UN conferences and summits, all stakeholders have built a comprehensive framework for pursuing poverty eradication and sustainable development. This provides us with a strong platform for building fair, equitable, and inclusive societies. Better societies are built when all aspects of development—and all actors—work in harmony and in mutual respect. In this context, the coincidence of the Second International Decade with the timeframe for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015, presents an enormous opportunity. We must ensure the integration of indigenous perspectives in MDG processes if we want to see the MDGs translate into indigenous realities. The same is true for the array of internationally agreed development goals, from the economic to the social and the environmental.
On this International Day, we celebrate, with indigenous peoples around the world, their myriad achievements, their rich cultural diversity, and their special contribution to humanity. At the same time, we must remain mindful of the challenges indigenous peoples continue to confront and recommit ourselves to advancing the UN Development Agenda in a way that redounds to the benefit of the world's indigenous peoples and thus to all humankind.
