4 May 2017
PFII, UNGA Events Urge World to Do Better for Indigenous Peoples
Photo by IISD/ENB
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The 16th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is convening from 24 April-5 May, with officials calling for stronger partnerships to achieve human rights and efforts to "do better" in preventing poverty, discrimination and poor healthcare among indigenous peoples.

A high-level UNGA event marked the tenth anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

25 April 2017: The 16th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII-16), convening in New York, US, has drawn attention to poverty, discrimination and poor health care faced by many indigenous peoples. Coinciding with PFII-16, a high-level event of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) marked the tenth anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Many speakers called for renewed attention to the human rights of indigenous peoples, and highlighted their potential contribution to fulfilling international commitments on sustainable development.

Speaking at the opening of PFII-16 on 24 April, incoming PFII Chair Mariam Wallet Mohamed Aboubakrine (Burkina Faso) called for strengthening partnerships to achieve the human rights of indigenous peoples. Lenni Montiel, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), said the world “can do better” in preventing poverty, discrimination and poor healthcare among indigenous peoples. Several speakers remarked on possibilities to promote indigenous peoples’ rights, with South Africa calling for a legally binding convention, and others noting that very few countries have ratified the 1989 International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. PFII-16 will run until 5 May 2017.

On 25 April, at the high-level UNGA event in honor of UNDRIP’s 10th anniversary, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, highlighted the contribution of indigenous peoples in his country to build the current plurinational state. Speaking out against capitalism, he referred to indigenous peoples as “the moral compass of humanity, with their own ways of organization and production.” Many speakers noted that the UNDRIP is yet to be fully achieved, and that indigenous peoples around the world continue to face problems caused by the impacts of development projects affecting their territories and resources. Andrew Gilmour, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), highlighted the role of indigenous peoples in the US in protesting an oil pipeline seen as a threat to water quality at Standing Rock, South Dakota. Other speakers highlighted issues in protecting indigenous rights rights to both land and water. One indigenous representative called for deploying a UN peacekeeping force to the US to protect indigenous peoples from “America’s new bully-in-chief.”

In an interactive dialogue on 1 May, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, called for ensuring access to information and prior informed consent. She said it is crucial to consider the impacts of the international investment regime on indigenous peoples’ rights.

More than 1,000 indigenous representatives are attending PFII-16. For the first time, indigenous community media have been welcomed to the event with a dedicated press area. PFII-16 is considering issues affecting indigenous women and youth, implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and following up on the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). [PFII-16 Meeting Summary, 24 April] [UN Press Release, 24 April] [PFII-16 Meeting Summary, 25 April] [UN Press Release, 25 April] [PFII-16 Meeting Summary, 26 April] [PFII-16 Meeting Summary, 27 April] [PFII-16 Meeting Summary, 28 April] [PFII-15 Meeting Summary, 1 May] [UN Press Release, 1 May] [PFII Background]


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