The Hague, 10 May 2008 - UNPO attended the annual two week Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held at the UN headquarters in New York between 21 April and 02 May 2008, on the following topics: Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods, the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges.

Between 21 April and 02 May 2008, the UN headquarters in New York was the stage for the Seventh Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), attended by delegates from all over the world to discuss issues affecting indigenous peoples. In recognition of the growing threat to life and livelihood as a result of rising sea levels, deforestation, and the new focus on biofuels as an alternative to dwindling and insecure hydrocarbon resources, the special theme for this year’s Session was: “Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods, the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges”. 

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established in 2000, with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. It is not a UN conference, but an organ of experts whose mandate includes raising awareness of and coordinating activities relating to indigenous issues within the UN system. Moreover, the Forum advises ECOSOC on the situation of indigenous peoples worldwide.

The Permanent Forum provides a platform for indigenous peoples to voice their concerns and dialogue with governments and the UN system about their concerns. This year's Session attracted some 3,000 indigenous representatives and other attendees including parliamentarians, NGOs and academia, senior and other representatives Member States, UN system entities and other inter-governmental organizations.

The UNPO Secretariat was present and represented at the Seventh Session by Ms. Sofia Mårn who reported back to Members with updates of the daily proceedings in New York, both from the main Sessions of the UNPFII and from a number of side events. UNPO Member representatives of the Khmer Krom, Hmong, Chin, Cordillera, Ogoni, Maasai, Crimean Tatars, West Baloch, West Papua, Ahwazi, Iranian Kurds, Batwa, Uyghurs, Sindhi as well as of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia attended the Seventh Session.

The Seventh Session was opened by the President of Bolivia, Mr. Evo Morales, the first-ever address to the Forum by a Head of State. UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon gave a statement through a video message, saying that indigenous peoples can and should play a role in the global response to climate change due to their accumulation of first-hand knowledge on the impacts of environmental degradation, including climate change. This message was reiterated by Chairperson of the Forum, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, who claimed that indigenous peoples, according to a World Bank report, contribute the “smallest ecological footprints” on Earth, but suffer the worst impacts from climate change and mitigation measures, such as the loss of land due to biofuel production.

During the Session, a number of UNPO Member representatives delivered statements, aiming to draw the attention of the international community to the urgent situation in their homelands and expressing serious concerns about alarming violations of human rights. A dialogue was held between the indigenous representatives and the Special Rapporteur on human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen. Present at the Forum was also the incoming Special Rapporteur on human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, Mr. James Anaya.

At the conclusion of the Seventh Session, members of the UNPFII, in response to strong pleas from indigenous participants, issued recommendations in a range of areas considered critical for the physical, cultural and spiritual survival, identity and well-being of the more than 370 million indigenous people worldwide. Among the issues raised was the recommendation of an increased collaboration between the Forum and the UN Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, including its universal review mechanism, calling for indigenous rights to be firmly addresses at those reviews.

Delegates told the Forum that indigenous peoples must have a say in decision making processes on how to combat global climate change since solutions currently being implemented are often further violations of indigenous rights. The Forum urged States, the World Bank, and other multilateral and bilateral financial institutions consider alternative systems beyond the perpetuation of highly-centralized fossil-fuel-based energy supplies and large-scale bioenergy and hydropower dams. The Forum called for an increase support for renewable, low-carbon and decentralized systems, taking into account the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and recommended that States abandon old, centralized electricity grids, which are not suitable for the challenges of climate change.

As a result of the half-day discussion on the Pacific, identified as one of the regions most under threat by climate change, the Forum issued a recommendation that an expert seminar be held, inviting the participation of the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination and the Special Committee on Decolonization, in order to examine the impact of the UN decolonization processes on indigenous peoples on the UN list of Non Self-Governing Territories. The half-day discussion on indigenous languages, led the Forum to issue recommendations to raise the prestige of indigenous languages by supporting efforts towards standardization, by establishing indigenous universities and promoting the use of indigenous languages in public administration, urging all parties to ensure the protection and development of indigenous languages.

Focuses of next year’s Session, in 2009, will be economic and social development, indigenous women, the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, and the Arctic region, while the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is to become a permanent item on the Forum's agenda. The Forum also decided to appoint Special Rapporteurs among its members to study the impact of corporations on indigenous peoples and promote indigenous peoples' rights within this context.

The last day of the Forum, UNPO organized and hosted a training session in cooperation with Mr. Joshua Cooper, UNPO Advisor and Director of the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, on how to defend indigenous rights in international fora. The aim of the training was to provide indigenous communities with knowledge to make efficient use of the existing international bodies, such as the UN and EU bodies, in order to protect their human rights, allowing them to demand their rights both nationally and internationally and training them to become active advocates for indigenous rights.

UNPO was also invited by UNPO Member Khmer Krom to attend a Khmer Krom Youth Conference in Philadelphia on Saturday 26 April 2008. For more information please click on the following link: http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8128/88/

Since traditionally marginalized and unrepresented peoples suffer the consequences of global climate change, while lacking the capacities to minimize or reverse the damages, and since these peoples have little representation in international forums for climate change and most often are not included in the international dialog concerned with finding solutions to these problems, UNPO launched an appeal at the Forum, calling for greater inclusion of indigenous peoples in discussions on climate change as well as in the decision and implementation process thereof.

I would like to inform you that the Report of the Seventh Session of the UNPFII is now out in all UN official languages and you may access it through the UNPFII website.

Appeal for Greater Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples

Global warming and climate change are issues that have become increasingly pertinent in recent years, affecting the environment for future generations across the entire globe. The environment is an intricately interdependent system which does not recognize national borders, and as such, will not remain solely a national interest. A clean global environment would benefit us all, but will only come about if all parties collaborate to develop a solution. This cooperation includes sub-state actors, typically marginalized communities, such as indigenous peoples, who experience the devastating impacts of climate change, but often do not possess the tools or opportunities to participate in a solution, and are incapable of implementing initiatives to mitigate the consequences.

The combination of deforestation, heavy industrialization and the use of fossil fuels, has caused severe global pollution and environmental degradation. Lush forested areas of South East Asia, in Burma, Thailand and Vietnam have lost unprecedented areas of land to deforestation due to development projects. This is particularly the case in Burma, where the Shan and Karenni State peoples have experienced massive human rights violations, displacement, and loss of livelihood due to deforestation in the Salween river valley. In other parts of South East Asia, in particular Indonesia, tropical storms and floods have increased, devastating significant parts of the region. The forced migration of people, due to climate change, will generate major conflict if the international community does not address the underlying causes.

Draughts, famines, decreasing drinking water supply, and rapidly changing agricultural landscapes are all results of desertification and have become increasingly common and devastating in Africa. Kenya has experienced massive demographic changes, as traditionally migrant peoples such as the Oromo and Maasai have been forced to move to the cities due to the loss of grazing routes due to desertification. Other places affected by desertification are Inner Mongolia, East Turkestan and Tibet, where people have limited autonomy over their own land. They are represented internationally by China, who has shown no interest in addressing environmental concerns in those regions.

Increasing global temperatures have had an enormous impact on sea levels as glaciers and mountain snows are melting in Polar Regions and high altitudes. The melting glaciers and the resulting avalanches have affected the highly agricultural peoples of the Caucasus, destroying cities in North Ossetia, Russia, and threatening other communities nestled in the fertile valleys of the Caucasus Mountains, including the Abkhazians.

Traditionally marginalized and unrepresented populations are suffering the consequences of global climate change, while lacking the capacities to minimize or reverse the damages. These populations have little to no representation in international forums for climate change and are not included in the international dialog concerned with finding solutions to these problems. Consequently, the resulting agreements fail to represent these communities by not taking into account their needs and concerns. In response to this alarming dilemma, UNPO:

• calls for greater representation of indigenous and minority peoples in talks designed to discuss and debate the effects of climate change as well as in the decision and implementation process thereof;

• calls for the inclusion of “indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities’ role in climate change mitigation” as a regular item on the agenda of all climate change and environmental meetings at every level, and an important point for consideration in policy making negotiations;

• stresses the need to protect the human rights of all nations and peoples, including their right to survive and to thrive as a community.

To date over 200 individuals have signed our appeal, including:

Denis Lee Onyangi

United Nations World Food Program (WFP)

Tamra Raven

International Council of Women

Frank Craven

Association for Indigenous Rights, France

Kristina Nordling

The Saami Council

Sabel Campo-Anello

United Nations Association

Julie Martel Buckell

Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador

Eliana Rioja

Confederacion de Pueblos Indigenas de Bolivia (CIDOB)

Tyson Carmody

Delegation of Australian Government

Pavel Sulyanolziga

Russian Association for Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIDON)

Itongwa Mukumo

PIDP - SHIRIKALA BAMBNTI (DRC/East)

Osman Ussme

UN World Food Program (WFP)

Click here for Appeal: http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8126/88/

To consult the UNPFII website for more information about the Forum click here: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/.