Indigenous peoples, Indigenous voices ‡ asdf United Nations United Nations Permanent ‡Forum on Indigenous Issues Some members of the Permanent Forum during its first session, in May 2002. When the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues met at the United Nations for the first time in May 2002, it was an historical moment for many who had worked for years to make the Forum a reality. As they had long sought, indigenous peoples were able to speak for themselves in a new way, to present their views as full-fledged members of a United Nations body. The Forum is an accomplishment built on the efforts of successive generations of indigenous peoples — begun as early as 1924 at the League of Nations, and continuing, since the 1970s, through decades of partnership with the United Nations. asd Who are the Forum members? The Forum is made up of 16 independent experts, functioning in their personal capacities, with eight of the members nominated by indigenous peoples and eight nominated by Governments. Governments may nominate indigenous experts, if they choose — and some have done so. The Forum meets for 10 days each year, in New York or Geneva, or a location to be chosen by the Forum. Why was the Forum established? The Permanent Forum was created by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), by its resolution 2000/22, to: N Discuss indigenous issues within the Council’s mandate, including economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights; N Provide expert advice and recommendations to the Council and to programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations; and N Raise awareness about indigenous issues, and help to integrate and coordinate activities in the UN system. How are the members nominated and selected? In the resolution establishing the Forum, the most highly populated regions: Africa; Asia; Council made clear its wish that the indige- and Central and South America and the nous candidates be nominated in a fair and Caribbean. These regional groups consult with transparent process. They are to be local organizations that confer at the appointed by the President of grassroots level. The nominees of the Council on the basis of the regional indigenous process- broad consultations with es are then submitted to the indigenous organiza- ECOSOC President. It is tions, taking into important to note that the account the diversity members of the Forum do and geographical not represent a particular distribution of the State, indigenous com- indigenous peoples munity or region; they of the world as well are experts serving in as the principles of their personal capacities. transparency, repre- sentativity and equal The eight members nomi- opportunity for all nated by Governments are indigenous peoples, elected by the Council, based including local indigenous on the five regional groupings consultation processes. of States normally used at the United Nations (Africa; Asia; Eastern The following seven socio- Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; cultural regions are the basis for consultations and Western Europe and Other States), with and nominations: Africa; the Arctic; Asia; three seats rotating. Central and South America and the Caribbean; Central and Eastern Europe, Russian The members serve a three-year term and Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia; may be re-elected or re-appointed for one North America; and the Pacific – with one additional term. additional seat that rotates among the three Photo by Emmanuel Audelo / Girl: Mazazontecomatl, Guerrero, Mexico Centre d ’Iconographie Genevoise, Collections BPU, Switzerland C C h h i i e e f f D D e e s s k k a a h h e e h h man's rightsarehisown.” enjoy the rights whichwhite the areas theirs surely as andto to worshiptheirGreatSpiritinownway, them, to left now own lawsintheirlittlecountries defend therightsofIroquoistoliveundertheir which isstillaliveandintends,asbestitcan,to existing. ItwasfoundedbyHiawatha.isaLeague of theSixNations,oldestLeagueNationsnow chiefs oftheCayugas.IamspeakerCouncil This storycomesstraightfromDeskaheh,oneofthe even ifitisuncomfortableforsomegreatpeople. Switzerland. Onecantellthetruthoverthereinpublic, story inSwitzerland.Theyhavefreespeechlittle be injailfordaringtotellthetruth.Ihavetoldthis where yourchildrencanfinditwhenImaybedeador records the into gone has sands oflistenersinEurope.It story willnotbelost.Ihavealreadytoldittothou- asIhopedo,the am preventedfromtellingitover, ing. MaybeIwillbestoppedfromtellingit.Butif ittothosewhohavenotbeenlisten- the Iroquois.Tell Theyare Onondagas, theSenecas,andTuscaroras. Oneidas, oftheCayugas—IamaCayuga “This isthestoryofMohawks, New York.Thefollowingisanexcerpt: Deskaheh madeaspeechbyradioinRochester, A fewmonthsbeforehisdeathin1925,Chief Summertown, Tennessee, USA by permission of TheBookPublishingCompany, from Portion ofDeskaheh's lastspeech Basic CalltoConsciousness , The long road to 1923 legal agreements with them were broken or The first indigenous ambassador to formally disregarded. approach the international community was Cayuga Chief Deskaheh, who set out for the The International Labour Organization (ILO) League of Nations in 1923 as the representa- began investigations into forced labour using tive of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. In the “native populations”. time he spent in Geneva — over a year — 1957 working for recognition by the League of Nations, his cause came under serious consid- The ILO adopted the first international legal eration by some of the delegations, but in the instrument concerning indigenous peoples and end the League would not hear his case. Still their rights, which was replaced by the determined, he made an eloquent address to Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (No. the Swiss public and continued to fight for the 169) in 1989. rights of his people until his death in 1925. His 1970-71 tenacity and courage continue to inspire and nourish younger generations. In response to reports of human rights violations, in 1970 the United Nations Sub- 1924 Commission on Prevention of Discrimination To protest the breaking of the Treaty of and Protection of Minorities recommended Waitangi (New Zealand, 1840), which guaran- that there be a comprehensive study on the teed the indigenous Maori ownership of their situation of indigenous peoples, and in 1971 it lands, T.W. Ratana, a Maori religious leader, appointed Special Rapporteur José Martínez travelled to London with a large delegation to Cobo to undertake the work. petition King George for help, but he was 1977 denied access. He then sent part of his delega- tion to Geneva to approach the League of As Special Rapporteur Martínez Cobo made Nations, where they received similar treat- progress reports to the Sub-Commission, the ment. The following year, 1925, Ratana him- situation of indigenous peoples began to draw self traveled to Geneva, but he, too, was attention. Nearly 200 indigenous delegates denied access. from around the world went to Geneva to attend a conference of non-governmental When indigenous peoples were denied access organizations (NGOs) on discrimination or recognition, they had no recourse when against indigenous people. Initially, many of the Permanent Forum them were not allowed entry, because they indigenous communities in areas such as did not fit into any established category of human rights, the environment, development, organization. Special arrangements were education and health.” quickly made by the United Nations to accom- modate them, and similar arrangements have At the World Conference on Human Rights been maintained until today. (Vienna), a permanent forum for indigenous people was first called for. 1981-84 1994 The Martínez Cobo study, consisting of five volumes submitted from 1981 to 1984, proved The International Decade of the World’s to be a watershed. It appealed eloquently to Indigenous People (1995-2004) was pro- the international community to act decisively claimed by the United Nations General on behalf of indigenous peoples. Assembly, and the establishment of a perma- nent forum for indigenous people was includ- 1982 ed as one of two major goals in its programme The Working Group on Indigenous Populations of activities. (WGIP) was established by ECOSOC to be a subsidiary body of the Sub-Commission with a All told, it took 80 years, almost the entire his- mandate to review developments pertaining tory of the League of Nations and the United to the promotion and protection of the human Nations together, for indigenous voices to rights and fundamental freedoms of indige- arrive on the podium of an official United nous populations, giving special attention to Nations meeting. Finally they are speaking in the evolution of standards concerning those their own voices. rights. Shortly after its establishment, arrange- ments were made that are unique within the UN system to allow indigenous participation in the sessions of the Working Group. 1993 The United Nations proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People “to strengthen international coopera- tion for the solution of problems faced by Further steps on the road… 1995 The Commission on Human Rights established a Working Group to elaborate the Draft A Voluntary Trust Fund for the Second Decade Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous was established to support the objectives of Peoples prepared and transmitted to it by the the Decade. Indigenous organizations or Sub-Commission on the Prevention of organizations working for indigenous peoples Discrimination and