Roundtable 1
UN System action for the implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Co-Chairs
- Mr. Ghazali Ohorella, Representative of the Pacific Indigenous Region
- H.E. Edita Hrda, Permanent Representative of Czech Republic (Eastern European Group)
Presenters
- Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Mr. Atencio Lopez, Representative of the Central and South America and the Caribbean Indigenous Region
- Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
Summary of key issues raised:
Yesterday we were served with a delicious discourse provided by States, indigenous peoples, UN agencies, programmes and funds. It was a luau feast of liberation and freedom. In the pacific we note that one can paddle over many distances when many paddles are moving together. If we continue in this spirit, our work will no longer seem impossible, but will more likely be inevitable. I had the pleasure of co-chairing the panel with H.E. Edita Hrda, Permanent Representative of Czech Republic, with a distinguished panel.
A consistent song during the panel was that this newly created, collective conscious, can close the chasim and ensure that indigenous peoples do not slip into the cracks of the United Nations. Whereas the participations underlined that the Outcome Document marked a milestone for the UN system’s work with indigenous peoples on issues that affect them. There was broad consensus that with the adopted outcome document of WCIP, the time has come for the UN system to move from normative discussions on indigenous peoples’ issues to action and integration of indigenous peoples in the UN’s work at all levels.
Participants also stressed the importance of indigenous peoples full and equal participation in the UN system. They provided examples of how this could be done, inter alia, by (a) ensuring indigenous peoples’ participation in various decision-making governance structures at local, national, regional and international levels, (b) recognizing indigenous peoples governments and high level official by providing an adequate UN status, and by (c) ensuring that there are UN staff members with indigenous background.
In line with the outcome document, several speakers called for the appointment of an indigenous senior UN official – at the level of Under-Secretary-General.– to oversee the implementation of the UNDRIP and to raise awareness of indigenous peoples issues within the UN system and beyond.
A key focus of several speakers was the UN system’s work on indigenous peoples at the regional and national level. The participants heard examples of how regional and national UN mechanisms, including the regional commissions and the UN country teams, can ensure that indigenous peoples are part of the development and strategizing of programmes and activities in a structured and coherent manner, including in the UN Development Assistance Frameworks and by using the ‘UNDG guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues’ (2009) and ensuring the availability of relevant disaggregated data.
Numerous speakers committed also to fully support a system-wide action plan to ensure a coherent approach to achieving the ends of the UN Declaration and looked forward to the SG’s progress report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session.
Recommendations for an oversight mechanism were through establishing appropriate monitoring mechanisms for the implementation of the UNDRIP. Some speakers called for the establishment of a new UN mechanism tasked with the oversight of UNDRIP implementation while others referred to updating existing ones and strengthening the work of the UN treaty bodies on indigenous peoples’ issues.
Also, the call for strengthening the Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG) on Indigenous Issues was another key point of discussion. Speakers alluded to the support group to become more effective through more frequent meetings with higher level UN officials.
We now recognize a new era of empowerment and engagement, moving beyond what we recognize as wrong, as we work together. We are already walking forward towards ensuring our fundamental freedoms and ensuring a calling for indigenous ambassadors. We welcome the appointment of the new Cherokee ambassador, Keith Harper, US ambassador to the Human Rights Council. It is clear that indigenous peoples lands, in their hands, will lead to development of indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples must be the protagonists of their own development processes and measurement of progress. indigenous peoples are the miners canary of the world; they are the mercury barometer of the successes and failures of the UN. This roundtable offered a map in the starts by which we can realize the dreams of our ancestors. We see the pledges of the promises and pledges of the SGs comments yesterday morning saying, “you will always have a home at the UN”.
