Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sub-Regional Meeting of Indigenous representatives from Canada, the United States and the Caribbean region

Dear Indigenous Peoples' Representatives,

Greetings from the Summits of the Americas Secretariat (SAS) of the Organization of American States (OAS). This Secretariat is pleased to announce, in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Inuit Circumpolar Council [ Canada ] (ICC), a Sub-regional Meeting with Indigenous Peoples' representatives from the English-speaking countries of the Americas to be held in Ottawa ,Canada, on Monday, December 13, 2010.

The main purpose of the Sub-Regional Meeting of Indigenous representatives from Canada, the United States and the Caribbean region is to provide an opportunity to follow-up on the implementation of the April 2009 Declaration and Plan of Action of the III Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas (III ILSA) "Implementing the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas for Present and Future Generations" and the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the Inter-American System. It will also provide an opportunity to begin preparations for the IV ILSA in the context of the initial planning stages of the Sixth Summit of the Americas .

The Seminar will be open to the participation of anyone from the general public interested in this theme. If you would like to participate, please fill out the Registration Form and email it to amontilla@oas.org, with a copy to celestemckay@me.com, before December 8th, 2010. Please note that each participant must cover his/her own expenses.

For those who cannot attend the event, the Summit Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Summits Virtual Community (SVC) will be available for all those individuals interested in contributing to discussions. This Community offers its visitors the opportunity to register and participate in forums and discussion groups, as well as obtain materials, such as documents, videos, links, etc. In the SVC, the visitor can also share comments and opinions with other people who are interested in common themes. To participate in the Indigenous Peoples Group, please click here or visit: http://svc.summit-americas. org/groups .

Updated versions of the agenda and other relevant documents will be disseminated shortly. More information about this meeting will also be published in the Summits of the Americas Information Network at: www.summit-americas.org/cs_ meet.html and on the AFN's website at www.afn.ca.

For more information, please contact Andrea Montilla (AMontilla@oas.org or at 202.458.3347) or Celeste McKay (celestemckay@me.com or at 613.858.7070).

Kind regards,

Summits of the Americas Secretariat of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
Organization of American States (OAS)
Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC)

This sub-regional event is made possible in part through the generous support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation