Representatives of indigenous peoples and non-governmental organizations met at the World Council of Churches, Geneva on 17 and 18 July 2004 to discuss strategies for effective participation in the 22nd Session of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP), going on this week.

The Indigenous Peoples Caucus, a subset of the Working Group, organized the weekend conference. Among the top agenda items was a goal to reach a common position on the session’s theme Conflict Resolution. Participants showed strong support for a report by WGIP Chairman-Rapporteur Miguel Alfonso Martinez entitled Indigenous Peoples and Conflict Resolution.

Some representatives expressed concern with the WGIP’s effectiveness to make significant progress on indigenous issues. While many recognized the limitations to the direct influence the WGIP has on real politik, the majority reiterated its confidence in the group’s aim. To underline this, support blossomed among participants of the caucus to prolong the International Decade for Indigenous People, which is in its last year. Those who spoke on the issue felt that the Decade failed to realize its basic goals. They called for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to reiterate its commitment to resolve the problems that led to the creation of the first decade.

Another important agenda item involved Free Prior Informed Consent. It obliges multinational corporations that wish to operate on indigenous land to first inform and negotiate with the local population. The caucus tried to assess and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of this new approach. It was decided that the caucus would produce a position paper on Free Prior Informed Consent. This statement will be presented to the WGIP during the week’s proceedings.

On Sunday afternoon, UNPO and the Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights (HIHR) conducted a training session for all preparatory meeting participants on practical strategies for submitting interventions and getting the most out of the conference. The meeting was specially tailored for first time attendees and enjoyed a large audience.

The weekend meeting ended with a traditional thanksgiving by representatives of the Mohawk nation. Participants joined hands in a thanksgiving prayer circle, symbolic of the solidarity all indigenous peoples feel committed to in regards to the rights of peoples.