Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
25 April 2019
Esteemed Anne Nuorgam, President of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,
Permanent Representatives, Delegates,
Representatives of the Indigenous Peoples:
I thank the indigenous women of the seven socio-cultural regions for the traditional ceremony.
I warmly welcome you to the second informal interactive hearing on the participation of indigenous peoples in the meetings of the United Nations on the issues that concern you.
I thank the strong presence of the Member States and the representatives of the Indigenous Peoples.
Excellencies,
The full and effective participation of the indigenous peoples in the processes that affect their rights is a principle that is acknowledged in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and has been a priority.
In the Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples of 2014, we committed to organize consultations about the ways to enable the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in meetings of relevant United Nations bodies on issues affecting them.
We have taken significant steps towards the delivery of that commitment.
Concrete proposals to make that participation possible were formulated in the report of the Secretary General on the follow-up of the World Conference, presented in 2015. Those proposals included various considerations about the criteria for the eligibility of the representatives of indigenous peoples; the nature and structure of the organ that would determine that eligibility; the details of the process; and procedural matters. The report could prove to be a valuable reference to guide the debates.
During the 70th and the 71st sessions of the General Assembly, Member States and the indigenous peoples held dialogues on this subject.
Resolution 71/321 encourages us to double our efforts to facilitate the participation of indigenous peoples and establishes the examination of this matter in the 75th session.
As part of the preparatory process, it arranges the organization of three interactive informal hearings with the indigenous peoples.
I would like to acknowledge the President of the 72nd session, Miroslav Lajčák, for organizing the first interactive hearing and also for the summary that was drafted on the debates that took place.
This document will be very useful to continue with the deliberations and move forward towards concrete proposals that will create a possible consensus.
We also have contributions from specialized mechanisms, such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
There is a wide variety of good practices that could be considered in the deliberations, such as the platform for the participation of local communities and indigenous peoples of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum established by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The full and effective participation of the indigenous peoples in the processes that affect their rights is a principle that is acknowledged in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and has been a priority.
Friends,
In this hearing, our discussions will focus on selection criteria and venues and modalities of participation. Both matters are fundamental to move forward in the process, but I know they are not without challenges.
The selection criteria are crucial. They will ultimately determine the possibility to participate.
We must find formulas that are broad and, if possible, flexible enough to allow including the various governance institutions of the indigenous peoples, their representation councils, their associations, their traditional authorities, their parliaments, among others.
The indigenous peoples of the seven socio-cultural regions represent an immense variety of cultures, languages and organization. Our efforts must be aimed at reflecting that very diversity in the outcome of this process.
Regarding the venues and modalities of participation, I know that there are diverging positions. But there are matters that cannot be eluded. For instance: indigenous peoples are not Non-Governmental Organizations and, therefore, their participation as such is not sufficiently contemplated in the organs of the United Nations.
From that acknowledgement, we must seek the points of convergence to move forward.
Dear indigenous representatives, delegates,
The results of this hearing and the previous one will be valuable inputs for the report that the Secretary General will present by the end of the 74th session. This report will address achievements, make an analysis and provide recommendations to enable the participation of indigenous peoples in the work of the Organization.
These results will also bring us closer to the decisions that we will fortunately adopt in the 75th session.
Using these debates, I invite you to reflect on innovative and appropriate ways in which the right of the indigenous peoples to participate in the matters that concern them can become a reality and include more voices in the United Nations and thus broaden our vision and our way to see the world.
My team and I will be looking forward to the contributions of the participants to prepare the executive summary that will result from today’s work.
I wish you fruitful and creative exchanges to project us towards a more inclusive Organization.
Thank you.
