(NEW YORK, May 2004) — As many as 1,500 people from around the world – most of them indigenous – will gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 May for the Third Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to open this year’s session, which will focus on the special needs and vulnerabilities of indigenous women.
The well-being of indigenous women is considered to be critical to the survival and prosperity of indigenous peoples and their unique cultures, as indigenous women are the keepers of gender-specific traditional knowledge and culture transmitted from one generation to the next. Throughout this session, special attention will be paid to how best to support and protect indigenous women so as to enable them to carry out this vital role.
Composed of independent experts, the 16-member Forum meets for two weeks each year, with the participation of indigenous leaders, civil society and United Nations bodies, to make recommendations to the UN Economic and Social Council and to the UN system in general. The newest body established by the United Nations to work on behalf of indigenous peoples, with eight members nominated by governments and eight by indigenous peoples, it brings indigenous voices to the highest possible level within the UN system.
As the outcome of its Second Session, the Forum made a number of recommendations asking United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to undertake certain work aimed at improving the lives of indigenous peoples, such as developing a policy and guidelines regarding indigenous children, or incorporating indigenous cultural perspectives into their work on health. Written progress reports on this work can be accessed on the website of the Forum at www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii.
Data Lacking on Indigenous Peoples
Among the important issues the Permanent Forum has identified for immediate attention is the lack of such basic information as census statistics for indigenous communities and peoples, making it difficult to assess the scope of their problems and how to tackle them. In many countries, such data is not collected at all, while in others a great deal of information is collected, but then may be reported only as part of general population figures. Even more troublesome is the difference in definitions and terminology across borders.
The Forum will look at the recommendations of a technical workshop on data collection and disaggregation held in January 2004, which brought together experts from the UN system, governments and indigenous organizations.
Because so many agencies, humanitarian and governmental, collect information in the field, the workshop suggested that the Forum might identify an appropriate institution to keep an eye on all relevant articles and reports as they are published to "capture" and record whatever information they might contain. If feasible, it or another institution might serve as a clearinghouse for all information on indigenous issues. As a result of the workshop, there is a new impetus within the UN Statistics Division to find more practical and workable ways of collecting and keeping statistics on indigenous peoples.
Free, Prior and Informed Consent
Another issue of vital importance to indigenous peoples, and one that will come under consideration at this session of the Forum, is their wish that governments and international agencies should obtain the "free, prior and informed consent" of indigenous communities to development projects and plans that may affect them.
This has emerged as the desired standard to be applied in protecting and promoting indigenous peoples’ rights in the development process.
According to a report prepared by the UN Development Programme, based on a questionnaire sent to relevant UN agencies, funds and programmes, prior consent is largely practiced on an ad hoc basis, and without official mandates there are few ways of measuring such consent. At the same time, agencies are increasingly sensitive to cultural needs, and many are working to empower indigenous community participation in designing and implementing their own projects. Agencies are also recognizing that they must pay careful attention to intellectual and cultural property rights before they disseminate any information they have gathered — a contentious point with many indigenous people.
International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People
As the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995-2004) draws to a close, strong support has been expressed by the indigenous community for the establishment of a second decade, requested by the Permanent Forum at its last session. A decision will be made on this by the UN General Assembly, based on a review of activities undertaken on behalf of indigenous peoples during the ten-year period. Also underway is a review of mechanisms established in the UN system to work on behalf of indigenous peoples. This review was requested at the time the Forum was established to determine if efforts on behalf of indigenous peoples in the UN system were overlapping or duplicating existing initiatives, so that appropriate action could be taken.
New Forum Members to Be Elected
As this is the last year of the three-year term that the 16 Forum members are currently serving, nominations were solicited earlier this year by the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs for membership of the 2005-2007 period. Members, who serve in their personal capacities, can be nominated for one additional term.
The indigenous-nominated members completing their first term in the 2004 session are: Antonio Jacanamijoy (Colombia); Ayitegau Kouevi (Togo); Willie Littlechild (Canada); Ole Henrik Magga (Norway); Zinaida Strogalschikova (Russian Federation); Parshuram Tamang (Nepal); Mililani Trask (United States); and Fortunato Turpo Choquehuanca (Peru).
Government-nominated members are: Yuri Boitchenko (Russian Federation); Njuma Ekundanayo (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Yuji Iwasawa (Japan); Wayne Lord (Canada); Otilia Lux de Coti (Guatemala); Marcos Matias Alonso (Mexico); Ida Nicolaisen (Denmark); and Qin Xiaomei (China).
The Permanent Forum advises and makes recommendations to the UN Economic and Social Council on economic and social development, culture, human rights, the environment, education and health. It has also been asked to raise awareness, promote the integration and coordination of activities relating to indigenous issues within the United Nations system, and prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues. States, United Nations bodies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and organizations of indigenous people may participate as observers.
Media contact: Ellen McGuffie, UN Department of Public Information, Development Section, tel. (212) 963-0499, e-mail mediainfo@un.org.
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information — DPI/2335A — May 2004
