The International Indian Treaty Council expressed serious concern about the future participation of indigenous Non-Governmental Organizations and their ability to defend indigenous peoples' human rights within the U.N. system.

The creation of the new Human Rights Council and the current restructuring create another significant delay in the United Nations' process for adoption of the declaration, IITC said.

Andrea Carmen, Yaqui and IITC executive director, said she is concerned about the uncertain future at the United Nations.

''The restructuring of a U.N. system should not deny the IITC and other indigenous NGOs access to the process, nor should the rights of indigenous peoples be put on hold by this process.''

Carmen said the current lack of participation and transparency awakens the question of when the inherent rights of indigenous peoples will ever be recognized by the international community.

The Human Rights Council was formally created on March 15 by the U.N. General Assembly and will replace the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.

The 62nd and final Commission on Human Rights session concluded its work March 27 in Geneva with a short procedural session. Representatives of regional groups of states and NGOs read statements on the bodies' achievements and presented their views on the future work of the new council.

The new HRC is scheduled to begin its first session on June 19 of this year.

The commission had been an important mechanism for the treaty council and other indigenous peoples to address critical violations of human rights and create global standards to defend and uphold their human rights.

The treaty council said it is unclear how indigenous NGOs, like IITC, will be included in the new HRC.

It is also unclear if NGO interventions on critical human rights issues, which were presented to the commission's 62nd session by IITC and other NGOs, will be addressed by the new council.

A key concern for IITC and other indigenous organizations is the continuing process towards adoption of the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The declaration, mandated by the U.N. Economic and Social Council, has been in development for 25 years with participation from indigenous peoples around the globe.

The declaration would have been addressed under the Commission on Human Rights' agenda item 15, ''Indigenous Issues.'' Indigenous peoples are still in the process of closely reviewing the commission's chairman's text of the draft declaration to ensure that it maintains the most essential rights as agreed to in the 1994 subcommission text.

IITC and other indigenous peoples have stated clearly that the current changes in the U.N. structure must not diminish indigenous peoples' access or ability to defend their rights and rectify violations by the member states.

Source: Indian Country Today