CLOSING CEREMONY DECLARATION OF THE INDIGENOUS CAUCUS WORKING GROUP OF THE DRAFT AMERICAN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Distinguished Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Mr. José Miguel Insulza

Ambassador Jorge Reynaldo Cuadros, Chairman of the Working Group for the elaboration of an American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Respected Representatives of the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Brothers and Sisters, Representatives of the Indigenous Peoples of Abyayala

My name is Manuela Cotiy. I am from the Kiché People of Guatemala. Indigenous women symbolize the fertility of our mother earth, the custodians of our cultural patrimony, and the transmitters of our ancestral knowledge that bears the principles and values of our world view which promotes the principle of complementarity and equilibrium that characterizes Indigenous Peoples and is framed by a harmonic and respectful coexistence with Our Mother Earth.

Mr. Chairman,

In the closing ceremony of the working group reflection meeting, the caucus that gathers the Indigenous Peoples of the Continent salutes and thanks the will manifested by the governmental representatives to continue supporting the drafting process of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a joint effort that has taken us eleven years during which we firmly believe we have advanced in developing a declaration that recognizes the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We feel that the session began a little pessimistically, but we thank each of the State Representatives for their positive reaction to the work presented by the Indigenous Caucus concerning the progress achieved in the process up until this point and as such hope for positive results from future negotiation sessions.

Mr. Chairman,

The Indigenous Peoples of the hemisphere have assembled here, each one speaking his/her own language, having his/her distinct social organization, world view, and ethical, legal, economic and productive principles among other aspects. We are convinced that for this draft declaration to be useful for Indigenous Peoples, the principle of Self-determination must be clearly established in the document, a right from which is derived the rest of the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples like the rights to land, territory and resources, tangible and intangible patrimony, and participation, among others. This is in agreement with the new generation of standards of international law like those instruments concerning the rights of Indigenous Peoples as reflected in the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which contains a compilation of rights that have been sufficiently clarified by international law. In this sense, we salute the advances achieved up until now by the indigenous government of Bolivia, which has adopted in its legislation the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Mr. Chairman,

The Indigenous Caucus urges the OAS State Representatives to maintain a flexible and open position in order to approve an American Declaration as soon as possible that contemplates all of the Collective Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We believe it is of great relevance that this draft be completed soon and establish standards that are consistent with and complementary to other legal instruments of the international order that are relative to the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Mr. Chairman,

In the name of the Indigenous Caucus, we insist that each one of the State Representatives demonstrate the political will to advance the adoption of the American Declaration that reflects the Rights and fundamental demands of Indigenous Peoples.

MALTIOX, which in the Kiché language signifies: Thank you.

Washington DC, December 12, 2008

Obama and Chavez to attend OAS summit in Trinidad

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago is to host one of the biggest conferences in April next year - the Summit of the Americas, which will be attended by 24 world leaders including the presidents of the United States and Venezuela.

The twin island republic is busy making preparations for the summit and the government has already indicated that it will declare April 17 -- the date of the opening of the conference -- a public holiday.

A top level local organising committee comprises the Minister of Trade and Industry Kenny Saith, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert, Utilities Minister Mustapha Abdul Hamid, Local Government Minister Hazel Manning, Education Minister Esther Le Gendre and several other top level personnel.

The Trinidad Guardian, in a front page article, said that security is the main concern because of the presence of the two dozen world leaders and a source said that recommendations were made to lock down parts of Port of Spain for three days during the summit.

The meeting will take place in Port of Spain, where two cruise ships will dock to accommodate the overflow of guests attending the meeting.

This is the first time that a Summit of the Americans will take place in the Caribbean.

Author: Oscar Ramjeet
Source: Caribbean Net News

Statement of the International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change

Statement of the International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change (IIPFCC) to the 29th Session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA), during the 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

December 1, 2008

Chair,

The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), representing IPs from different parts of the world met from 27–29 November 2008 here in Poznan, Poland, to prepare for the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.

We, the Indigenous Peoples have suffered the worst impacts of climate change without having contributed to its creation.

We must not be placed in the position of suffering from mitigation strategies which we believe have offered false solutions to the problem at hand. And even worse, many of the mitigation and adaptation schemes being discussed in UNFCCC and related processes threaten our rights and our very existence.

Mitigation projects, including REDD and CDM, implemented by Parties and private sector are carried out without the free prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples there by affecting our livelihoods and violating our human rights.

These projects are encroaching on areas of lands sacred to us, and producing the forced eviction of many of our brothers and sisters from their ancestral territories.

Furthermore, proposed `scientific' mitigation and adaptation solutions, methodologies and technologies being discussed here and elsewhere do not reflect Indigenous Peoples' cosmovision and our ancestral knowledge.

So-called `consultations' with us, often only take the form of simply informing our communities. Consultations should not be limited to specific communities and organizations but should involve all affected and involved indigenous peoples, including our representative organizations.

We the Indigenous Peoples demand full participation in the implementation of all areas of work concerning Climate Change and Forests.

We put the following recommendations forward:

· To ensure a rights-based approach in the design and implementation of climate change policies, programmes and projects. In particular, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples must be recognized, implemented and mainstreamed in all of the Convention activities;

· To ensure the right to Free Prior and Informed Consent in line with internationally recognized standards of good governance;

· To develop methodologies and tools for impacts and vulnerability assessments in consultation with indigenous peoples;

· To recognize and use traditional knowledge and integrating it with scientific knowledge in assessing impacts and coming up with adaptations;

· To ensure the proper capacity building of indigenous peoples in technologies for adaptation;

· To immediately suspend all REDD initiatives in Indigenous territories until Indigenous Peoples' rights are fully recognized and promoted;

· To include indigenous peoples' experts in the implementation of phase II of Nairobi Programme of Work;

· To set up a disaster reduction strategies and means to address loss and damage associated with climate change mitigation projects and policies, impacts in indigenous peoples territories;

Thank you.

Note: The International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change (IIPFCC) is the Indigenous Peoples Caucus convened during the UNFCCC COP14. The Caucus represents Indigenous participants from the North and South.

Source: IEN Tom G [ ien@igc.org ]

POLITICS: Civil Society Demands Voice at Americas Summit

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Nov 4 (IPS) - Caribbean civil society groups say they want to have direct input at the Fifth Summit of the Americas to be held in Trinidad and Tobago next April, and are urging hemispheric governments to begin implementing some of the 600 recommendations that have been agreed upon at previous summits dating back to 1994.

"We are happy that Trinidad and Tobago is focusing on implementation at the Apr. 17-19 summit, and we are lending our expertise to that process," said Dr. Kris Rampersad, director of Lobby, Advocacy, Research and Public Relations of the Network of NGOS of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women.

She told IPS that at a two-day Caribbean Sub Regional Civil Society Forum held here over the weekend, delegates also agreed on the need for including civil society representatives in government delegations -- one of the commitments made at the Quebec Summit five years ago and reiterated at the last summit in Mar de Plata, but never implemented.

"It is time to deliver. Since Trinidad and Tobago, as host, is leading this call for implementation, it is an ideal opportunity that our government leads by example and start implementation from the home front, beginning at national level," Rampersad said.

"The Caribbean has in the past had relatively low-keyed involvement in the summit process. Now that it is being staged in the Caribbean, it gives the region an opportunity to redefine its roles and responsibilities within the hemisphere," she added.

The Summit of the Americas is held every three to four years, and brings together the region's 34 heads of state to discuss political, economic, social, and security issues.

Hazel Brown, coordinator of the Trinidad-based Network of NGOs, reminded delegates that "nothing will be handed to us -- we have to take it," and that the purpose of the forum was to allow for the establishment of a strong citizens' movement in this hemisphere of which the Caribbean is a vibrant part.

The forum here was organised by the Trinidad-based NGO, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Canadian-based Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) and held under the theme "Building Civil Society Capacity for Participation in the Summit Process and Follow-Up".

More than 100 NGOs and civil society groups were represented at the forum, which discussed issues such as human prosperity, environmental sustainability, energy security, democratic governance, and strengthening the summit process.

OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin said that the participation of civil society in next year's summit "cannot be a one-off activity".

"This engagement should be a continuous one, structured and well defined, and even beyond the Fifth Summit of the Americas. Civil society engagement is not a gesture, it is an obligation," he said.

But the forum here also noted the failure of the 34 hemispheric governments to implement many of the recommendations that had emerged from previous summits and recalled, for example, the 2003 Quebec summit, which produced at least 43 pages of recommendations.

"We, as part of a hemispheric group of civil society organisations -- the Active Democracy Network -- monitoring implementation of the summit mandates will launch an index of government compliance that will rank the governments based on analyses carried out by experts throughout in terms of implementation," Rampersad said.

"From preliminary data, it is clear that there has been regression in some of the areas. In others, governments have made some progress," she said, noting that in some cases "there has been no movement at all".

The Active Democracy Network's initial focus is on recommendations involving local government reform, freedom of expression, access to information and involvement by civil society in decision making.

For example, regional leaders committed in the Quebec Plan of Action to strengthen local government systems by making them more autonomous and active agents of political and administrative decentralisation.

"Instead, even despite the national consultations, in Trinidad and Tobago, for example, we are seeing evidence of reducing the powers of local government and increasing control by central government," Rampersad said.

At the summit in Quebec, the participating governments had also agreed to promote mechanisms to facilitate citizen participation in political life, and provide the resources to do so, including information, training and technical support and financial resources.

Rampersad believes that with the summit being held in the Caribbean for the first time ever, regional countries, and more specifically the Trinidad and Tobago government, should use the opportunity to set an example.

"Here is a very good place to start. We have measurable data of where implementation can be improved. We must go beyond the rhetoric and act on it," she added.

Arthur Gray, advisor to the National Coordinator of the Fifth Summit Secretariat, said that the summit, apart from the historic significance of being held in a small island developing state, provides an opportunity for the Caribbean to shape a hemispheric agenda "that addresses the issues and themes that are of direct relevance to our region even as it lays the foundations of a new structure of Inter-American relations that is in consonance with the urgent realities of our time."

The delegates at the just concluded Caribbean Civil Society Forum say they want it to become the core of a network of Caribbean civil society organisations (CSO) that will work to advance CSO involvement in the summit process, sharing expertise and experiences.

In addition, they have also pledged to form national umbrella CSOs to lobby their governments to hold national consultations that would feed into the regional compilation of civil society recommendations.

Rampersad said that the forum also agreed that "there be meaningful and effective spaces for civil society interface with Government at the summit and to dialogue on recommendations for the Summit plan of action".

Author: Peter Richards
Article Source: IPS News

International expert group meeting on the role of the UNPFII in the implementation of article 42 of the UN Indigenous Rights Delaration

International expert group meeting on the role of the UNPFII in the implementation of article 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

United Nations Headquarters
14-16 January 2009

This Expert Group Meeting is being organized following a recommendation of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, approved by ECOSOC decision 2008/249, which authorized a three-day international expert group meeting on the implementation of Article 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and requested that the results of the meeting be reported to the Permanent Forum at its eighth session. The workshop will discuss the way in which the UNPFII should address its mandate under Article 42 of the Declaration.

The EGM will be attended by indigenous experts and UNPFII members as well as interested Member States, UN Agencies and Indigenous Peoples' Organizations. Interested parties should contact the Secretariat about participating in the EGM as observers. Please note that space in the conference room is limited and the Secretariat may not be able to accommodate all requests for participation.

Meeting documents are available at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/EGM_A42.html

Contact:

Carol Pollack
Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Division for Social Policy and Development - Department of Economic and Social Affairs
2 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
indigenouspermanentforum@un.org

============================

Reunión internacional de expertos sobre la implementación del Artículo 42 de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas

Sede de las Naciones Unidas
10 Noviembre 2008

Esta reunión internacional de expertos se está organizando siguiendo una recomendación del Foro Permanente de la ONU para las Cuestiones Indígenas, aprobada por la decisión 2008/249 del ECOSOC, la cual autoriza una reunión de tres días de un grupo internacional de expertos sobre la aplicación del artículo 42 de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas y pide que se informe al Foro de los resultados de la reunión en su octavo período de sesiones. La reunión analizará la manera en que el UNPFII debe abordar su mandato bajo el Artículo 42 de la Declaración.

En la reunión participarán expertos indígenas y miembros del UNPFII, así como también los Estados Miembros interesados, agencias de Naciones Unidas y organizaciones de pueblos indígenas. Los interesados deben contactar a la Secretaría para asistir a la reunión en calidad de observadores. Se les informa que el espacio en la sala de conferencias es limitado, y por lo tanto es posible que la Secretaría no pueda acomodar todos los pedidos de participación.

Los documentos de la reunión están disponibles en la pagina web del Foro Permanente: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/EGM_A42.html

Contact:

Carol Pollack
Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Division for Social Policy and Development - Department of Economic and Social Affairs
2 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
indigenouspermanentforum@un.org

High Commissioner in Haiti

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is visiting Haiti from 2 to 5 November. Her first official meeting in the country was with President René Préval, where she addressed the situation of a number of economic and social rights. The High Commissioner also discussed public security and the need to strengthen the police and justice systems in the fight against crime and impunity, among other issues.

The High Commissioner expressed concern about the vulnerability of the population to natural disasters and discussed the issue of development of public policies to protect human rights to adequate food, health, housing and water. Access to primary education, for which very limited financial and human resources are available, minimal national quality and safety standards in schools, and equality and non-discrimination in primary and secondary education were also discussed.

The High Commissioner also praised the President for his work on bringing stability to the country and agreed with him that further developments in civil and political rights need to be based on progress in economic and social rights.

The High Commissioner visited Cité Soleil, a poverty-stricken neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince, where the delegation witnessed what life is like for Haiti's majority. In Cité Soleil, she visited Kay Jistis (“House of Justice”), a community-focused project supported by USAID in conjunction with other partners such as the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), where she met with beneficiaries of the project.

Kay Jistis aims at improving access to justice and reinforcing local governance. It also offers legal assistance to victims of detention related violations and addresses the issue of prolonged pre-trial detention, which continues to contribute enormously to the crisis of overcrowding in the prisons.

The mission also included meetings with senior ministers, as well as police and judicial authorities, the Ombudsman, and civil society. In a meeting with human rights NGOs, she praised their courageous work. All interlocutors pointed at the difficult conditions in prisons, where over 8,000 detainees live in unacceptable conditions and face long pre-trial detention.

OHCHR supports the human rights component of MINUSTAH, the UN peacekeeping operation in Haiti. The High Commissioner met with Hédi Annabi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of MINUSTAH, and with the Mission’s Rule of Law Working Group which briefed her on a joint 18-month initiative of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and OHCHR, to measure the progress of the justice system in the institutional building process.

Source: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/HighCommissionerinHaiti.aspx

Expert Meeting on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Concludes First Session in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland (UCTP Taino News) - The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) concluded its inaugural session in Geneva on Friday, 3 October with the adoption of a number of proposals to the Human Rights Council. The Durban Review Conference on Racism, the right of Indigenous People to education, and the participation of Indigenous Peoples in sessions of the Council and United Nations human rights treaty bodies were the focus of some of the proposals presented.

The Expert Mechanism is mandated to provide thematic expertise on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to the UN Human Rights Council. The group met from 1-3 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva with more than 400 registered to the historic meeting. A majority of those attending the inaugural session were Indigenous Peoples who actively participated in the three-day meeting making recommendations to the newly formed body as well as relating human rights situations affecting their communities.

Among the many presentations made at the session a joint oral statement on the points of consideration of the EMRIP study on Education was presented by the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) and the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP). The presentation was made by IITC Executive Director Andrea Carmen. The IITC presented several other interventions during the session. Both the IITC and the UCTP participated within the Global Indigenous Caucus sessions to the EMRIP.

As mandated by the Human Rights Council through a resolution adopted at its session last week, the Expert Mechanism began to identify and suggest proposals for its consideration in 2009. In connection to the upcoming UN Durban Review Conference on racism taking place next year, the Experts were asked to assist the Preparatory Committee of the Conference by submitting recommendations as contributions to its outcome. The Experts recommended that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action should acknowledge that the right of self-determination and the principle of free, prior and informed consent are now universally recognized through the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In addition, the Experts recommended that the Declaration be considered as one of the human rights standards in the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process.

The Experts also began work on preparing a study on lessons learned and challenges to achieve the implementation of the right of Indigenous Peoples to education to be concluded in 2009. In another proposal, the Expert Mechanism invited the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to contribute to the study and requested the Human Rights Council to authorize a two-day technical workshop/review to finalize the study.

At the meeting’s opening, John Henriksen (Norway) was elected to serve as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the first session and Jose Carlos Morales (Costa Rica) as Vice Chairperson-Rapporteur. The other three members of the Expert Mechanism are Catherine Odimba Kombe (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Jannie Lasimbang (Malaysia) and Jose Molintas (Philippines).

The Expert Mechanism will hold its second session in 2009 with the date to be decided at the 10th regular session of the Human Rights Council scheduled to be held in March 2009.

UCTPTN 10.06.2008

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a new United Nations mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples. This mechanism has been created by the Human Rights Council following an informal meeting on the most appropriate mechanisms to continue the work of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

The Expert Mechanism is a subsidiary expert mechanism of the Human Rights Council with a specific mandate. Composed of five experts, the Expert Mechanism will provide thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples to the Human Rights Council, the main human rights body of the United Nations. This expertise will be provided in the manner and form requested by the Council:

The thematic expertise will focus mainly on studies and research-based advice; the mechanism may suggest proposals to the Council for its considerations and approval, within the scope of its work as set out by the Council.

The Expert Mechanism will hold its first session from 1 to 3 October 2008 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Registration for the Expert Mechanism is now open on line. Please for further information see the accreditation page.

Finally, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has been requested to provide human, technical and financial assistance to the Expert Mechanism for the effective fulfilment of its mandate. The Office can be contacted for further information.

Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council...

Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council: Deadline for NGO submissions

The deadline for NGO submissions under the 4th session of the UPR system is 1 September 2008 for submissions on Cameroon, Djibouti, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Bangladesh, China and Jordan and 8 September 2008 for submissions on Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Russian Federation and Azerbaijan.

Reports should be sent to the following email address: UPRsubmissions@ ohchr.org

NGOs are being strongly encouraged to limit their submission to a 5-page document, to which a more detailed and factual report may be attached for reference. This information will be available on line for others to access. Further information on NGO submissions under the UPR system is to be found at:

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx


The listing of other countries to be considered over the next years 2008-2011 is available on the OHCHR web site at:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/upr/uprlist.pdf

UN VOLUNTARY FUND FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

UN VOLUNTARY FUND FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
DEADLINE: October 1, 2008.

2009 applications forms for the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations are available
on our internet website:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/about/funds/indigenous/docs/forms2009.doc

The fund provides financial assistance to indigenous delegates wishing to attend the 2nd session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 8th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Source http://www2.ohchr.org/english/

=========================================

FONDO DE CONTRIBUCION VOLUNTARIA PARA LOS PUEBLOS INDIGENAS
FECHA LIMITE: 1 de Octubre, 2008.

La aplicación correspondiente al 2009 para el Fondo Voluntario de Naciones Unidas para los Pueblos Indígenas, se encuentran disponibles en el website:
http://www2.ohchr.org/spanish/about/funds/indigenous/docs/form2009_sp.doc

El Fondo, provee asistencia financiera a los Delegados Indígenas que deseen asistir a la 2da sesión de Mecanismos de Expertos en derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas y a la 8va sesión del
Foro Permanente para las cuestiones Indígenas.

Fuente http://www2.ohchr.org/spanish/about/funds/indigenous/index.htm

GUIDEBOOK ON WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS...

GUIDEBOOK ON WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: "CLAIMING RIGHTS, CLAIMING JUSTICE"

The Guidebook on Women Human Rights Defenders is aimed to help women human rights defenders name the specific risks, violations and constraints they face in their work. It presents a practical discussion of the useful mechanisms developed by the state and also the civil society to provide redress and remedy, and to protect women human rights defenders. It is intended to be used by human rights and other organisations to further a gender perspective in the monitoring and documentation of human rights.

The Guidebook is available in pdf format:
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/pdf2007/book3NeoWithCover.pdf


Source: Defending Women-Defending Rights.org
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/index.php

=======================================================

GUIA PARA DEFENSORAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS: "EN DEFENSA DE LAS MUJERES QUE DEFIENDEN LOS DERECHOS"

Esta guía, es una importante iniciativa para el reconocimiento de la valiosa contribución que hacen las defensoras de los derechos a la promoción y protección de los derechos humanos, contribuyendo a su empoderamiento como defensoras de estos. Presenta una discusión práctica de los mecanismos útiles desarrollados por el Estado y también la sociedad civil para proteger a defensores de los derechos humanos de las mujeres

La guía esta disponible en formato pdf:
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/pdf2007/es_claiming_rights_claiming_justicev4.pdf

Fuente: Defending Women-Defending Rights.org
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/index.php

ACTIVITIES OF THE WORKING GROUP 2007-2008

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS)approved a resolution which reaffirmed that the adoption of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will continue to be a priority of the Organization.

The Working Group charged with elaborating the project of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has posted this information electronically under:
GT/DADIN/doc.340/08

====================

ACTIVIDADES DEL GRUPO DE TRABAJO DURANTE EL PERIODO 2007-2008

La Asamblea General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), aprobó una resolución mediante la que se reafirmó que sigue siendo prioridad de la Organización, la adopción de la Declaración Americana sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas.

Como resultado del Grupo de Trabajo encargado de elaborar el Proyecto de Declaración Americana sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, se puede conocer la informacion en: GT/DADIN/doc.340/08

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONCLUDES EIGHTH REGULAR SESSION

At the end of its last meeting, the Council adopted a list of 13 new Special Procedures mandate holders, as follows:

Frank William La Rue Lewy of Guatemala, as Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression;

Anand Grover of India, as Special Rapporteur on the right to health;

Githu Muigai of Kenya, as Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism;

Joy Ngozi Ezeilo Emekekwue of Nigeria, as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons;

Maya Sahli of Algeria, as a member of the Working Group on people of African descent;

Shaheen Sardar Ali of Pakistan, as a member of the Working Group on arbitrary detention; and

Michel Forst of France, as Independent Expert appointed by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Haiti.

In addition, the following five members of the Expert Mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples were approved:

Catherine Odimba Kombe of Congo;

Jose Mencio Molintas of the Philippines;

Jannie Lasimbang of Malaysia;

Jose Carlos Morales Morales of Costa Rica; and

John Henrikson of Norway.

Viktoria Mohasci of Hungary was appointed as Chairperson for the Forum on minority issues.

Source: http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/3F8625572007BBCBC125746C006CED7B?opendocument

Final Report of the 7th Session

Dear Friends of the Permanent Forum,

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 our website.
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/

Best regards,

Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
indigenouspermanentforum@un.org
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
DC2-1772

PFII Intervention: Item 6 - The Pacific

Indigenous World Association
Mililani Trask, Director
Na Koa Ikaika O Ka Lahui Hawaii
Mililani B. Trask, Convener
400 Hualani Street, Suite 194
Hilo, HI 96720

Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues – April 2008 – New York, NY

Item # 6

Topic: Pacific

Presenter: Mililani Trask

Collective Intervention of the Pacific & Caribbean on the United Nations Decolonization Process: Indigenous World Association; Na Koa Ikaika o Ka Lahui Hawaii; Koani Foundation; Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action; The Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies; Waikiki Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Hawaii Institute for Human Rights and Oceania; The ALDET Centre-Saint Lucia; The Self-governing Administrative Mechanism of the Indigenous People of Saint Lucia; the Caribbean Antilles Indigenous Peoples Caucus and the Diaspora; The International Indigenous Peoples Think Tank; Visages de Polynesie; Pohutu No’ano’a, HITI TAU; Pu Fenua pu Metua, The Rapanui Parliament, The National Council for Indigenous Peoples Rights in Kanaki – New Caledonia, The Agency Kanak de Development, The National Council for Resource Management K-NC, Caney Quinto Mundo (PR), Consejo General de Taino Borincanos (PR), The United Confederation of Taino People (Carribean).

Aloha Mdm. Chair & Colleagues of the Permanent Forum:

If you search the annals of international law you will find that the word “sacred” is used only once. This is in relation to the “sacred trust obligation” which Administering States have to the “inhabitants of the (non-self-governing) territories” under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter. This “sacred obligation” is owed to millions of indigenous peoples who reside in the Pacific and Caribbean and who, under international law, are unable to express their right to self-determination and self-governance because they were placed by the United Nations on the list of “non-self governing territories (NSGT)” in the early 1940’s when the United Nations was created.

The NSGT’s are recognized as the old world colonies that were subjected to colonization during the era of colonial imperialism. International Law concedes that the peoples of the NSDGT’s are denied the most important of all human rights, the right of self-governance. Under international law, the States that were designated to administer the NSGT’s were to assist these peoples in attaining a full measure of self governance. When this was achieved, the peoples of the NSGT’s were to be given the opportunity to choose the form of government they desired, including Independence. Under international law, the territory and land base of the NSGTs is not considered to be part of the Administering State.

Since the cold war ended, only one NSGT has attained self-governance/self-determination – Timor Leste. Several NSGT’s remain in a state of political disenfranchisement as “colonies” of the Administering States. These are: Guam and America Samoa (U.S.), Kanaki - New Caledonia (France), Pitcairn Island (U.K.) and the Tokelau Islands (NZ). There are also serious issues that have yet to be addressed relating to French Occupied Polynesia (France) and Hawaii and Alaska which were removed unilaterally by the U.S. in 1959. It should be noted that both the CERD and the Human Rights Commission have raised the status of Hawaii and Alaska to the United States in their respective bodies.

The Special Committee on Decolonization, which has oversight of the Decolonization process is dysfunctional and for the past 15 years has been unable to address or respond to several UNGA Resolutions. In addition, the Decolonization Committee and its Secretariat have refused to respond to requests from the CERD for data relating to racism in the territories for 19 consecutive years. During this time, and continuing until the present, the UN General Assembly and its member states have declared not one, but two International Decades to eradicate colonialism.

Colleagues of the Forum – there is no more egregious situation within the UN System than the situation relating to the failure of the United Nations to address the deprivations and human rights violations in the NSGT’s.

Self-determination is the most significant human right and it is denied to millions of indigenous peoples in the Pacific and the Caribbean with the tacit approval of the UN itself.

The record reveals the following:

1. From 2002 – 2005 the UNGA passed 19 resolutions directing that specific action be taken to implement decolonization in the territories – these actions were to be taken by UN agencies (UNEP, UNDP, EAD/DPA, Electoral Affairs Division, Dept. of Political Action), the UN Secretary General, the UN Regional Economic Commission, the President of the ECO-SOC, the Chairman of the Special Committee on Decolonization, and Independent Expert and State administering agents. None of these directives have been implemented to date.

2. In 2006 the General Assembly adopted the Plan of Implementation (POI) – [A/60/853-E/2006/75 17 May 2006], to endorse an implementation strategy in 8 areas – Information, Participation, Analysis of Political and Constitutional Arrangements, Missions, Protections and Conservation as well as Ownership and Control of natural Resources, Educational Advancement, Development of Self-Government and support for NSGT’s from the UN – since 2006, no action has been taken to address the POI despite its approval by the U.N.G.A./ECO-SOC. We are submitting copies of these UN documents to the secretariat and the Forum for the review of Forum members.

For 10 years the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) States have repeatedly requested that the secretariat of the Special Committee produce reports relating to the implementation of the UN decolonization resolutions. These reports were to be prepared in behalf of the Secretary General for the General Assembly of Nations. Despite repeated requests, no reports have ever been initiated by the secretariat that specifically addresses implementation of numerous General Assembly Resolutions or the P.O.I.

During this period, the CERD has also repeatedly requested that the Special Committee and its secretariat provide information to the CERD on racism in the territories. These requests have been ignored by the Special Committee and its secretariat, and CERD reports continue to lament the fact that “only scant information” is contained in the reports sent to them by the Special Committee.

It appears that we are dealing with a situation of institutionalized racism. I say this because of evidence that the Special Committee staff have manipulated UN procedures to perpetuate this situation. For example, the POI specifically called for an Independent Expert to conduct an analysis of the existing political arrangements in the NSGT’s (Mandate 3 pg. 13 – POI), this never occurred because the secretariat deleted the agenda item from the agenda in order to ensure that no Expert would be able to address and expose the true situation in the NSGT’s.

The situation is so outrageous that the current policy of the Special Committee on Decolonization is referred to as a Policy of “Colonial Accommodation” by the Overseas Territories Report.

The current situation has been analyzed and assessed by Independent expert Dr. Carlyle Corbin (Mid-Term Assessment of the Level of Implementation of the Place of Action of the 2nd Internet Decade for the Eradiation of Colonialism, 17 May 2005).

We are providing the Forum Experts with a copy of Dr. Carlyle’s report which provides significant detail on the problems and obstacles to implementing the UN decolonization process.

Members of the Forum:

a. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has addressed this matter before.
We direct the Forums attention to the third Forum report to the ECO-SOC contained in document E/C.19/2004/23, E/2004/43.

Recommendation number 54 (pg. 17) states:

“The Forum requests the Special Rapporteur on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples undertake a study on the United Nations decolonization process and the Special Committee on Decolonization to assess its historical and current impact on the human rights of indigenous peoples of the non-self-governing territories. Furthermore, the Forum requests the Secretary General to undertake a mid-decade review or the Second Decade on the Eradication of Colonialism to determine whether substantial progress has been made in achieving the goals of the Second Decade and to identify proposals for addressing obstacles to achieving the goals of the Second Decade.”

Forum Exerts, your recommendations are being ignored. There has been no assessment of the Mid-Decade on Decolonization made by the Secretary General, and if the Forum does not take action now, there never will be.

b. On Dec. 14, 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 61/128 which states in part. “The General Assembly... Requests the Special Committee to collaborate with the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination within the framework of their respective mandate, with the aim of exchanging information on developments in these non-self-governing territories which are reviewed by these bodies”……[A/61/49/Vol. I pg 235]. Forum members, The Pacific indigenous peoples must request that the Forum take action to initiate the recommendations attached hereto in responding to the General Assembly’s request to this body.

c. To date the Forum has deferred to the Special Committee. The time has come for the Forum to take the lead. To this end we request the Forum take the following action:

1. Sponsor and expert seminar in conjunction with the CERD and the Special Committee on Decolonization to examine the impact of the UN Decolonization process on indigenous peoples of the NSGT’ which are now, or have been listed on the UN list of NSGT’s. This seminar must be under the auspices of the Forum because of existing problems with the Secretariat of the Special Committee. We request that Independent Expert Carlyle G. Corbin be included in the seminar as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples. We also request that indigenous peoples of the NSGT’s and territories previously under NSGT status also be included.

2. That the Forum utilize the Inter-Agency Support Group to begin to implement the (POI) Program of Implementation with UN Agencies, UNDP, UNEP and other agencies and specialized bodies as directed by the General Assembly.

3. That the Forum communicate its concern for the human rights of indigenous peoples and all peoples in the NSGT’s to the UN Human Rights Council and request that the Council designate a Special Rapporteur on the Situation of the Peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

I will look forward to working with the Forum Experts on these issues.

Caribbean EPA with Europe to be Signed

Georgetown, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Commission (EC) and the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) is to be signed in July 2008.

See full story at:
http://www.prensa-latinaenglish.com/article.asp?ID={01B1AC0C-6A4C-4C38-AA32-7C42E22B6159}&language=EN

Report of the Seventh Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

An advance unedited version of the report of the seventh session is available in English. Although the report is not a final official document, it does contain all of the amendments made by the rapporteur during the adoption of the report on Friday 2 May 2008. Thus, the report contains additional paragraphs and changes that were made since the L documents were issued. The advance unedited version will only be available in English. Other language versions will be ready when the official report is published.

Click here to download the report (pdf only) at
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/UNPFII_7session_report_advance.pdf

Fifth Summit of the Americas to take place in Trinidad & Tobago 2009

UCTP Taino News - In 2009, Trinidad and Tobago will be the first Caribbean, Small Island Developing State to host the Fifth Summit of the Americas. The Summits of the Americas are held every three to four years and bring together the 34 democratically elected Heads of State and Government in the Western Hemisphere to exchange ideas and opinions on the political, economic, social, and security challenges confronting the region.

From 1994, the Summits process has seen the implementation of several initiatives advancing improvements in healthcare, education, infrastructure and security, disaster mitigation and preparedness, environmental conservation, and democratic governance across the hemisphere - all for the benefit of the people of the Americas.

According to the Summit Secretariat “The goal of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in preparing for the Fifth Summit is to ensure that the focus remains on people - that it brings meaningful and tangible benefits to all the people of the Americas.”

Plans are already being discussed to host an “Indigenous Summit of the Americas” in conjunction with the Fifth Summit.

UCTPTN 05.15.2008

PFII: Agenda Item 8(b) The Second International Decade of the World's indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean

Kalinago Carib Nation (Dominica); Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos (Puerto Rico); Fundacion Social Luz Cosmica Fraternalista Taina (Dominican Republic); Eagle Clan Arawaks (Barbados and Guyana); United Confederation of Taino People (Regional)

Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
United Nations Headquarters, NY
Wednesday, 30 April 2008

Presented by Mildred Karaira Gandia (UCTP rep.)

Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates and Representatives of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we welcome this opportunity to address Agenda Item 8 (b) the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

We would like to begin by acknowledging the agencies and programs that have responded positively to our previous interventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and UNICEF. We look forward to continuing our work with them in the region especially in the area of capacity building.

Madame/Mr. Chair it is unfortunate that we have to report however that the majority of United Nations Specialized agencies are still not giving serious attention to the Caribbean island region and this practice is contrary to the goals of the Second Decade.

Indeed, the Second Decade’s Plan of Action contains a specific reference to Caribbean Indigenous Peoples, which can be found under Section 6 “Social and Economic Development”, item (b) Regional level, number 86.

The recommendation clearly states that “representatives of Caribbean indigenous peoples should be included in region-specific consultations and conferences in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on steering committees for planning and implementing the programme of activities for the Second International Decade. Serious consideration should also be given to organizing a special regional consultative session focusing on the unique situation of Caribbean indigenous peoples, which would take place in the Caribbean, hosted by a Member State and a local indigenous community.”

With this in mind, we recommend that:

1) The Permanent Forum organize a special regional consultative session focusing on the unique situation of Caribbean Indigenous Peoples.

2) Such a special regional consultative session be held on the island of Dominica and that its planning and implementation take place in collaboration with indigenous communities and organizations such as those represented within the Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean as well as with the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples. The session should aim to strengthen cooperation, coordination, and capacity building among Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean.

3) The Permanent Forum should ensure that any special regional consultative session held in the Caribbean or on Caribbean indigenous issues provide equal funding opportunities for participation and follow-up to indigenous peoples of non-self-governing territories in the region.

For example, indigenous peoples from Puerto Rico are continuously denied funding by the UN Voluntary Fund to participate in meetings, conferences, regional specific consultations, capacity building opportunities and conferences in the region or elsewhere. This practice is discriminatory and must end.

Madame/Mr. Chair, in closing we urge the Permanent Forum to invite the Inter-Agency Support Group, as well as CARICOM, the Rio Group, the Association of Caribbean States, and Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas to work in close collaboration with Caribbean Governments to effectively finance and implement these recommendations focusing on the Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Bo'matum (Thank you) for your attention.

Note: The Greater Caribbean should be defined here as an area of cooperation in recognition of common ancestral heritages and common geographic spaces shared by the Indigenous Peoples of the region.

PFII: Agenda Item 7, Half Day Discussion on Indigenous Languages

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CAUCUS OF THE GREATER CARIBBEAN

Kalinago Carib Nation (Dominica); Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos (Puerto Rico); Fundacion Social Luz Cosmica Fraternalista Taina (Dominican Republic); Eagle Clan Arawaks (Barbados and Guyana); United Confederation of Taino People (Regional)

Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
24 April 2008, Item 7 Half-day discussion on indigenous languages

Presented by Mildred Karaira Gandia (UCTP)

Takahi (Greetings) Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates and Representatives of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we welcome this opportunity to address Agenda Item 7 Half-day discussion on indigenous languages.

The INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CAUCUS OF THE GREATER CARIBBEAN welcomes the Permanent Forum’s report of the international expert group meeting on indigenous languages. We support its recommendations to States, United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations, and indigenous peoples.

We are especially supportive of the recommendation that “UNESCO strengthen its working relationship with NGOs and civil society organizations so that language policies are implemented directly at the level of indigenous communities and seek government support where possible.”

With this in mind we recommend that the Permanent Forum urge UNESCO to continue this work with regional Caribbean indigenous organizations such as the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) and the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) to facilitate follow-up.

Honorable Chair, our Caucus would also like to support the recommendations submitted by the United Confederation of Taino People to the international expert group meeting on indigenous languages.

With this in mind, we recommend that the Permanent Forum urge the full and effective participation of Caribbean Indigenous Peoples in the design and organization of a world conference on linguistic diversity, indigenous languages, identity and education and that this initiative be facilitated in partnership with regional Caribbean indigenous organizations such as the UCTP and COIP.

Our Caucus also recommends that the Permanent Forum bring to the attention of the Expert Group and UNESCO the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which mention Indigenous Peoples specifically.

In relation to the WSIS, and “promoting empowerment of indigenous languages”, we also call attention to indigenous led initiatives such as the International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF) and its premier project the “International Indigenous Portal”.

Our Caucus fully supports this indigenous ICT initiative and we recommend that the Permanent Forum urge the Expert Group and UNESCO to invite the IITF to be a part of its future projects and related follow-up.

The Permanent Forum has been a staunch supporter of Indigenous Peoples engaging the Information Society and we urge this body to continue its work supporting the WSIS Declaration and Programme of Action.

In closing we say Bo’matum (thank you) for this opportunity.

Climate change, and bio-cultural diversity: A Caribbean First Nations Perspective

Special Events and other Parallel Events at the Seventh Session of the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
21 April - 2 May 2008

Climate change, and bio-cultural diversity: A Caribbean First Nations Perspective
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/Session_seventh_special_events_revised.doc

Organizer: United Confederation of Taino People
Co-sponsors: Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean (Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, Kalinago Nation of Dominica, Fundacion Social Luz Cosmica Fraternalista Taina, Eagle Clan Arawaks)

Location: DC2-13th Floor
Conference Room
2 UN Plaza, 44th Street

Caribbean Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations

UCTP Taino News (United Nations) - The Seventh Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 21 April to 2 May 2008. The special theme will be "Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges." This year’s PFII theme is especially relevant to Caribbean Indigenous Peoples, many of whom are from Small Island Developing States increasingly affected by the global climate crises.

In an effort to ensure Caribbean voices at the session, the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) is again facilitating administrative services and program coordination for delegates planning to participate within the Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean (IPCGC) at UN Forum.

See full story at: http://www.uctp.blogspot.com/

2008 Call for proposals for the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility

The International Fund for Agricultural Development is inviting indigenous peoples' organizations and communities, and organizations that work with them, to apply for grants that fund micro projects and partnerships to promote the development of indigenous peoples and their unique cultural identity.

Grants ranging from US$10,000 to US$30,000 will be awarded to applicants from IFAD's developing Member States through the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility.

You can find more information on application requirements and an application form at
http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/index.htm

You can e-mail or mail your application to IFAD. The closing date for applications is 30 June 2008. IFAD will not accept applications after that date.

E-mail your application to indigenouspeoples@ifad.org.

Mail your application to:
Antonella Cordone
Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues
Policy Division
International Fund for Agricultural Development
Via del Serafico, 107
00142 Rome
Italy


A board made up primarily of indigenous members will work with IFAD staff to consider the proposals and make recommendations.

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El Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola invita a las organizaciones y comunidades de pueblos indígenas, y a las organizaciones que colaboran con ellas, a solicitar donaciones para financiar microproyectos y asociaciones que promuevan el desarrollo de los pueblos indígenas y su excepcional identidad cultural.

Se concederán donaciones, por una cuantía de entre 10 000 y 30 000 dólares de los Estados Unidos, a solicitantes de países en desarrollo Miembros del FIDA con cargo al Fondo de Apoyo a los Pueblos Indígenas.

Puede obtenerse más información sobre los requisitos exigidos para la presentación de solicitudes, así como un formulario de solicitud, en
http://www.ifad.org/english/indigenous/grants/s/index.htm

Puede enviar su solicitud al FIDA por correo electrónico o correo postal. El plazo para la presentación de solicitudes termina el 30 de junio de 2008. El FIDA no aceptará las solicitudes que lleguen después de esa fecha.

Correo electrónico: indigenouspeoples@ifad.org.

Dirección postal:
Antonella Cordone
Coordinadora de Cuestiones Indígenas y Tribales
División de Políticas
Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola
Via del Serafico, 107
00142 Roma
Italia

Una junta integrada principalmente por miembros indígenas examinará, en colaboración con el personal del FIDA, las propuestas presentadas y formulará recomendaciones.

New Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous People

For immediate distribution / Para su distribución immediata

Dear friends,

This is to inform you that the Human Rights Council adopted today, during its 7th session, and without a vote, the list of candidates for special procedures mandate holders proposed by the President of the Council (attached).

The list includes the name of the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Prof. S. James Anaya, from the University of Arizona (United States). The current mandate-holder, Prof. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, will continue holding the mandate until Prof. Anaya assumes it in the following weeks.

Let me congratulate Prof. Anaya for his appointment and commend, once against, the incredible efforts and dedication deployed by Prof. Stavenhagen since his appointment as Special Rapporteur in 2001.

Best wishes,

---------

Estimados amigos y amigas,

Tengo el gusto de informales que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos adoptó el día de hoy, en el curso de su séptima sesión, y por unanimidad, the lista de candidatos presentada por el Presidente del Consejo para las vacantes de los procedimientos especiales (anexa).

La lista incluye el nombre del nuevo Relator Especial sobre la situación de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales de los indígenas, Prof. S. James Anaya, de la Universidad de Arizona (Estados Unidos). El actual mandatario, Prof. Rodolfo Stavenhagen, continuará ejerciendo el mandato hasta que sea asumido por el Prof. Anaya en las próximas semanas.

Felicidades al Prof. Anaya por su nombramiento y al Prof. Stavenhagen por todos los esfuerzos y la dedicación desplegadas desde su nombramiento en 2001.

Un cordial saludo,

Mélanie Clerc
Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Unit
UN Voluntary Fund on Indigenous Populations
UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office Motta 2.06
1211 Geneva
Tel: +41 22 928 9737
Fax: +41 22 928 9010

Call for Nominations Equator Prize 2008

El texto en español se encuentra después del texto en inglés.

Dear friends and colleagues,

It is our great pleasure to announce the opening of the call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2008: Celebrating Community Success in Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction.

This marks the fourth round of the internationally renowned Equator Prize. Awarded biennially, the Equator Prize recognizes community-based initiatives that demonstrate extraordinary achievement in reducing poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the equatorial belt. Prize winners receive worldwide recognition for their work as well as an opportunity to help shape national and global policy and practice in the field.

Twenty-five community organizations will be honored with the Equator Prize 2008 and US$5,000 each. Five of these communities will receive special recognition and an additional US $15,000. Special recognition will be given in the following categories: one for each region of eligibility (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean), one to the initiative that best exemplifies community approaches to adapt to climate change, and one to the initiative that best exemplifies the conservation of agricultural biodiversity. The Equator Prize will be presented in October 2008, in Barcelona, Spain, at the IUCN World Conservation
Congress. All winners will have the opportunity to showcase their work in the "Poble" Dialogue Space at the Congress.

The Equator Prize 2008 nomination process will be open through May 31, 2008. Details on the criteria for the Prize, information on the award process, and the online nomination system can be accessed through the Equator Initiative website at www.equatorinitiative.org.

We encourage you to nominate qualified community initiatives that are active in environmental conservation and sustainable development within the equatorial region. Self-nominations are welcome.

Please disseminate this announcement widely to your electronic newsletters and networks! With your help and nominations, we can continue to honor and celebrate exceptional communities around the world, support their invaluable work and grow a stronger network of community best practice in biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction.

We look forward to receiving your nomination(s)!

Warm regards.

Eileen de Ravin and the Equator Initiative Team
UNDP Equator Initiative
405 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10174
212-457-1709
www.equatorinitiative.org
equatorinitiative@undp.org

******************************

Estimados amigos y colegas,

Con gran placer anunciamos la convocatoria global para las nominaciones al Premio Ecuatorial 2008: Celebrando éxitos comunitarios en la conservación de la biodiversidad y la reducción
de la pobreza.

Este lanzamiento marca la cuarta ronda del internacionalmente reconocido Premio Ecuatorial. Este premio, el cual es otorgado cada dos años, reconoce iniciativas comunitarias que demuestran logros extraordinarios en la reducción de la pobreza mediante la conservación y el uso sostenible de la diversidad biológica en el cinturón ecuatorial. Los ganadores del premio reciben reconocimiento mundial por su trabajo, asi como la oportunidad de contribuir a la elaboración de políticas nacionales y mundiales y a la práctica en el terreno.

El Premio Ecuatorial 2008 honrará a veinticinco organizaciones comunitarias, las cuales recibirán $5,000 dólares estadounidenses cada una. Cinco de estas comunidades recibirán un reconocimiento especial y $15,000 dólares adicionales. El reconocimiento especial se otorgará en las siguientes categorías: uno para cada región elegible (África, Asia y el Pacífico y América Latina y el Caribe), a una iniciativa que mejor ejemplifique esfuerzos comunitarios para adaptarse al cambio climático y uno a la iniciativa que mejor ejemplifique la conservación de la diversidad biológica agrícola. El Premio Ecuatorial será presentado en octubre del 2008, en Barcelona, España, en el Congreso Mundial de Conservación del UICN. Todos los ganadores tendrán la oportunidad de mostrar su trabajo en el Espacio de Diálogo "Poble" del Congreso.

Se aceptarán nominaciones para el premio hasta el 31 de mayo del 2008. Detalles sobre los criterios para el premio, información sobre el proceso de nominación y el sistema de nominación en línea se pueden encontrar en el sitio web de la Iniciativa Ecuatorial en www.equatorinitiative.org.

Le exhortamos a nominar iniciativas comunitarias que trabajan para la conservación del medio ambiente y el desarrollo sostenible en la región ecuatorial. Organizaciones cualificadas son bienvenidas a auto-postularse.

¡Por favor, difunda ampliamente este anuncio en sus boletines electrónicos y demas redes de comunicación! Con su ayuda y con las nominaciones, podemos honrar y reconocer comunidades
excepcionales al rededor del mundo, apoyar su labor incomparable y desarrollar una fuerte red de comunidades que práctican métodos eficientes para conservar la biodiversidad y reducir la pobreza.

Esperamos con gran interés recibir su(s) nominación(es)!

Saludos cordiales.

Eileen de Ravin and the Equator Initiative Team
UNDP Equator Initiative
405 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10174
212-457-1709
www.equatorinitiative.org
equatorinitiative@undp.org

Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Di

Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

17 - 18 May 2008 - Bonn, Germany
0 document(s) currently available

For more information http://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=cop9-pmlac

Expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples

Expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples
Nomination, Selection and Appointment of the independent experts
Establishment of the Expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 6/36 of 14 December 2007, an expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples will be established. The subsidiary expert mechanism is to provide the Council with thematic expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples in the manner and form requested by the Council.

The expert mechanism shall consist of five independent experts, the selection of which shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established in paragraphs 39 to 53 of the Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, Annex . The independent experts shall be appointed for a three-year period and may be re-elected for one additional period.

In addition, in the selection and appointment process, the Human Rights Council is recommended to give due regard to experts of indigenous origin.

General criteria

According to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, Annex, the following general criteria will be of paramount importance while nominating, selecting and appointing mandate-holders:

(a) expertise;
(b) experience in the field of the mandate;
(c) independence;
(d) impartiality;
(e) personal integrity;
and
(f) objectivity.

Due consideration should be given to gender balance and equitable geographic representation, as well as to an appropriate representation of different legal systems. Eligible candidates are highly qualified individuals who possess established competence, relevant expertise and extensive professional experience in the field of human rights (paras. 39-41).

Public list of candidates

As called for in Council resolution 5/1, Annex, the Secretariat has created, maintains and regularly updates a public list of candidates. The public list of candidates is now available on the Human Rights Council Extranet.

Applications

Further to Council decision 6/102 the Secretariat has prepared a standardized form, specific to the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples, on the basis of the technical and objective requirements stipulated in the decision, for candidates to fill in, so as to facilitate the selection of relevant candidacies from the public list.

Those entities which may nominate candidates as independent experts for the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples, according to Council resolution 5/1, Annex, are:

(a) Governments;
(b) Regional Groups operating within the United Nations human rights system;
(c) international organizations or their offices (e.g. the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights);
(d) non-governmental organizations;
(e) other human rights bodies;
(f) individual nominations (para. 42).

Candidatures to the expert mechanism may reach the Secretariat at the following address: hrcexpertmechanism@ohchr.org or HRC Secretariat, c/o Orest Nowosad (Mailing address: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Room 4-093, Palais des Nations, 8-14 avenue de la Paix, CH-1211, Geneva 10; Tel: +41 (0)22 917 9223; Fax: +41 (0)22 917 9011).

The Consultative Group, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, shall provide to the President, at least one month before the beginning of the session during which the independent experts shall be appointed, a list of recommendations of the candidates who possess the highest qualifications for the expert mechanism and meet the general criteria and particular requirements.

It is anticipated that appointment shall take place during the 8th session of the Human Rights Council (2-13 June 2008).

The deadline for submission of applications is set at Friday 11 April 2008.

Note Verbale, 26 February 2008

Appointment of new Special Rapporteur

The new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people is expected to be appointed by the HRC during its 7th session in March 2008. Candidatures may be submitted by Governments, regional groups, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, other human rights bodies, and individuals to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). For further information and a standardized form for candidates go to the OHCHR website.