Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Minorities and Poverty Reduction: Regional Report
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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES/ETHNIC MINORITIES AND POVERTY REDUCTION REGIONAL REPORT Roger Plant Environment and Social Safeguard Division Regional and Sustainable Development Department Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines June 2002 © Asian Development Bank 2002 All rights reserved Published June 2002 The views and interpretations in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Asian Development Bank. ISBN No. 971-561-438-8 Publication Stock No. 030702 Published by the Asian Development Bank P.O. Box 789, 0980, Manila, Philippines FOREWORD his publication was prepared in conjunction with an Asian Development Bank (ADB) regional technical assistance (RETA) project on Capacity Building for Indigenous Peoples/ T Ethnic Minority Issues and Poverty Reduction (RETA 5953), covering four developing member countries (DMCs) in the region, namely, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Viet Nam. The project is aimed at strengthening national capacities to combat poverty and at improving the quality of ADB’s interventions as they affect indigenous peoples. The project was coordinated and supervised by Dr. Indira Simbolon, Social Development Specialist and Focal Point for Indigenous Peoples, ADB. The project was undertaken by a team headed by the author, Mr. Roger Plant, and composed of consultants from the four participating DMCs. Provincial and national workshops, as well as extensive fieldwork and consultations with high-level government representatives, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and indigenous peoples themselves, provided the basis for poverty assessment as well as an examination of the law and policy framework and other issues relating to indigenous peoples. Country reports containing the principal findings of the project were presented at a regional workshop held in Manila on 25–26 October 2001, which was attended by representatives from the four participating DMCs, NGOs, ADB, and other finance institutions. This report integrates the project’s main findings and recommendations, together with elements of a proposed regional action plan. The report is one of a series of documents produced by the project. They comprise four country reports (on Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Viet Nam, respectively), a regional report covering these four countries, and the proceedings of the regional workshop, which resulted in recommendations for a regional action plan for indigenous peoples/ethnic minorities. In addition, a regional report on the subject in Pacific DMCs was prepared under a separate consultancy. It is hoped that the information in this publication series on the issues and concerns of indigenous peoples/ethnic minorities will help guide national governments and development partners in improving future interventions to recognize, promote, and protect the rights of these peoples. ROLF ZELIUS Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy Director-General Regional and Sustainable Development Department ACKNOWLEDGMENTS hanks are due to the many government officials from Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Viet Nam, who have cooperated in this project. Particular thanks are expressed to TYusril Ihza Mahendra, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Indonesia; Ly Thuch, Minister of Rural Development, Cambodia; Tran Luu Hai, Vice Chairman, Committee for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas (CEMMA), Vietnam; Hafid Abbas, Director of Human Rights, Indonesia; Trinh Cong Khanh, Deputy Director, Department of Mountainous Areas Policies, CEMMA, Viet Nam; Seng Narong, Permanent Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Ethnic Minorities Development Program, Cambodia; Howard Dee, Presidential Advisor for Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Philippines; and Evelyn Dunuan, Chair, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Philippines. Special thanks also go to Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Tadao Chino for his support to this program, in particular for making the opening address at the October 2001 Regional Workshop; and to other senior ADB officials who gave generously of their time at this workshop, including Rolf Zelius, Anita Kelles-Viitanen, S. Nishimoto, and K.H. Moinuddin. The assistance of Jay Maclean in editing and of Anita L. Quisumbing and Lily Bernal in production is acknowledged with thanks. Much of the material in this regional report is drawn from the individual country reports and, thus, I warmly thank my colleagues in the consulting team who prepared them and contributed to this report: Hean Sokhom and Tiann Monie, Cambodia; Myrna Safitri and Rafael Edy Bosko, Indonesia; Daisy Morales and Raymundo Rovillos, Philippines; and Bui The Cuong, Duong Bich Hanh, and Thu Ba Huynh, Viet Nam. Thanks are also expressed collectively to the many other stakeholders who have collaborated in this project, including the representatives of indigenous peoples and ethnic minority organizations, other nongovernment organizations, academic and research institutions, representatives and staff of ADB resident missions, and many others. Roger Plant CONTENTS Foreword ......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... iv Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ vii 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 2. The Target Groups and their Lifestyles.......................................................................... 5 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5 The Asian Development Bank’s Definition of Indigenous Peoples and its Operational Implications ............................................................................................................... 6 National Definitions and Main Characteristics in the Participating Countries .......................... 7 3. State Law and Policies: A Comparative Review .......................................................... 19 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 19 Cambodia: Addressing the Needs of Small Minority Groups .................................................... 20 Indonesia: Toward a Coordinated Policy? .................................................................................. 21 The Philippines: Taking the Lead? .............................................................................................. 22 Viet Nam: Ethnic Minorities and Policy Reform in a Transitional Economy ............................ 25 4. Poverty Trends: Quantitative Indicators and Measurement ................................................................................................... 29 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 29 Cambodia and Indonesia ............................................................................................................. 30 Philippines .................................................................................................................. 30 Viet Nam ............................................................................................................................ 32 5. Perceptions of Poverty: Qualitative Assessment ......................................................... 35 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 35 Cambodia ............................................................................................................................ 35 Indonesia .................................................................................................................. 37 Philippines ............................................................................................................................ 39 Viet Nam ............................................................................................................................ 42 6. The Role of International Assistance .......................................................................... 47 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 47 vi Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Minorities and Poverty Reduction: Regional Report Regional Support for Policy and Program Development: The United Nations Experience ..... 48 Other United Nations Activities: Cambodia, Philippines, and Viet Nam .................................. 49 Nongovernment Organization Initiatives ................................................................................... 50 Experience of the Asian Development Bank .............................................................................. 51 7. Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 59 Ethnicity and Poverty Reduction: The Case for Differentiated Treatment................................ 59 The Law and Policy Framework ................................................................................................. 60 Poverty Indicators and Measurement ........................................................................................