The United Nations Economic and Social Council ! Committee: The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Topic B: Promoting economic development in indigenous communities Written by: Ivanna Jadra, Carolina Zarazua, Rodrigo Llaguno, Emilio Carrillo and Melisa Vargas I. Committee Background The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the United Nations’ (UN) “central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.” It was established in 1946 and it is one of the six main organizations of the UN. Currently, ECOSOC has 54 member states, which are appointed by the General Assembly every three years. The committee’s headquarters is located in New York City and its current president is Marie Chatardová. Right now, the main focus of ECOSOC is the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a series of goals designed to promote economic development, end poverty and world hunger, encourage gender equality, etc. (About ECOSOC, ECOSOC, 2018). Moreover, ECOSOC furthers its mandate through collaboration with several subsidiary bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (Subsidiary Bodies, ECOSOC, 2018). II. Topic information A) History of Topic According to the World Health Organization (WHO), indigenous communities are populations “that live within, or are attached to, geographically distinct traditional habitats or ancestral territories, and who identify themselves as being part of a distinct ! cultural group.” These communities are found all around the world and many countries have some located in strategic areas, while others are sometimes scattered throughout all of the territory. The UN estimates that there are around 370 million indigenous people living in more than 70 countries around the world. (WHO, 2007). On the other hand, economic development refers to “the adoption of new technologies, transition from agriculture-based to industry-based economy, and general improvement in living standards” (Business Dictionary, 2018). In various reports, the United Nations states that the rights of indigenous communities are violated daily. It also describes that these communities are some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the world. This has led to little economic development and a lack of opportunities for them. Many indigenous communities live in extreme poverty and lack access to clean drinking water, electricity, medical centres and education, these communities are often isolated from the rest of the country’s population as well. According to Stephen Corry of The Guardian, governments tend to provide these communities with minimal interest because they are seen as “others” because of their beliefs, cultures and traditions, which are extremely important to indigenous communities and are often misunderstood by outsiders. Corry asserts that governments make little efforts to learn more about these communities and interpret their wanting to hold onto traditions as a rejection of progress that goes against the country (Corry, The Guardian, 2011). Colonialism also plays a strong role in why many indigenous communities lack economic development and support. The Guardian stated that the purpose of colonialism was to “take away their self-sufficiency, on their own territory, and lead them to glorious productivity, as menials, on someone else's.” This means that under colonialism, indigenous communities were not able to grow because their efforts were only to benefit their oppressors. Nothing went back into their own communities, ! creating a continuing cycle of poverty and destitution. Moreover, colonial stereotypes about indigenous communities continue to linger and this has caused great damage (Corry, The Guardian, 2011). For instance, the World Bank states that education is a must in order for economic development to occur. Without an education, people cannot obtain jobs, earn money and pay taxes which are then invested into the building of schools, hospitals, etc. (Patrinos, The World Bank, 2016). For many indigenous communities, access to education does not exist due to government budgets and investments. Furthermore, many indigenous communities do not trust government supported educational institutions due to a history of abuse and mistreatment towards indigenous children. (Corry, The Guardian, 2011). Non-profit organizations are attempting to help communities take control of their own economic development. Indigenous communities are now being encouraged to mix traditional with modern technology in order to earn a fair wage. For example,the company provides the community with a free online platform to sell indigenous fashion and textile items, all while promoting them as fair trade and sustainable. All profits return back to the communities and are then used to purchase necessary items such as medicine, books, etc. (Indigenous, 2018). Also, in order to meet educational needs, the Indigenous Education Institute (IEI), trains teachers within indigenous communities and funds the constructions of schools. The organization’s educational program is a mixture of indigenous knowledge and tradition with the learning standards of the local government (IEI, 2018). B) Current Issues Australia: According to the Australian government, the country is committed to ensuring that members of indigenous communities have the same economic opportunities as non-indigenous citizens. In its Indigenous Economic Development Strategy report for 2011-2018, the government outlined its plan for making economic ! development more equal. It aims to offer more educational opportunities with more schools, teachers and scholarships. This is important because Australia believes education teaches skills which will enable keep indigenous communities to obtain “meaningful work and to build financial self-reliance” (Australian Government, 2011). However, this plan has been widely criticized by indigenous communities because it does not provide them with opportunities for their input. Yawuru leader Patrick Dodson said, “There's a lot of aspiration and maybe good intention, but unless you get participation from Indigenous entities at a local level and community level, it's not going to work” (Robinson, ABC News, 2016). Peru: In Peru, 45% of its 30 million inhabitants identify as indigenous. The majority of the indigenous population reside in remote areas that are rich in natural resources. However, due to government policies and the promotion of big corporations, the indigenous communities do not have access to what is around them. Instead, they live in poverty, unable to sell or utilize the natural resources in their own communities. Moreover, most indigenous communities in Peru do not own the land they live on, making it even harder to promote economic development. Recently, the government granted more land rights to indigenous communities, however, reliance on governmental programs for food, water and medicine is still common (Murtough, Public Policy Peru, 2016). Fiji: In Fiji, the population is a almost evenly divided between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. However, within the country, the indigenous population are the dominate land owners and hold a majority in the government. Following the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, the government in Fiji began to debate the exact definition of the word “indigenous”. It later revealed that since indigenous communities within the nation were economically well developed, more needed to be done for non-indigenous groups. So, Fiji is unique since its indigenous communities ! have not been suppressed by years of colonialism, discrimination and inequality. Moreover, the indigenous population do not want to see poverty inflicted on others and have taken action in order to lift up non-indigenous groups living within the country (Allen and Xanthaki, ed., Reflections on the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, 2011). Mexico: In Mexico, indigenous communities are more likely to live in poverty than non- indigenous communities. Around 12% of the country’s population identifies as indigenous. According to the UN, indigenous communities are discriminated against in Mexico due to cultural misunderstandings and racism. The organization also said that indigenous communities in Mexico have historically faced higher levels of poverty and economic insecurity. For instance, 80.6 percent of nation’s indigenous population live in extreme poverty and the majority of indigenous children live under the poverty line on less than two United States dollars a day. The lack of food and opportunities makes it difficult for children to attend school, obtain employment and lift their families out of poverty. So, within Mexican indigenous communities poverty is often hereditary, with parents passing it onto children and so on, making it a never-ending process unlikely to end soon due to a lack of government action in recent years (Heath, Panoramas, 2016). Russia: Russia has around 30 northern indigenous communities. Most of them live in Siberia or other remote areas. Many struggle with difficulties such as high infant mortality rates, low life expectancy, high homicide rates, suicide and substance abuse problems. The UN has attributed these problems to Soviet Union era policies which brought about “the closure of so-called "futureless" indigenous villages, forced relocation of native populations into larger, often multi-ethnic settlements (where