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,

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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

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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