9th Session of the UNPFII

Public Notice: Pre-registration for the ninth session of the UNPFII will be closed on March 30th, 2010. Given the challenges posed by the new conference facilities at the UN headquarters, please check this website for updates: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_ninth.html

Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

19-30 April 2010
UN Headquarters, New York

Special Theme: Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity; articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Provisional Agenda

1. Election of officers.

2. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.

3. Discussion on the special theme for the year, “Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity: articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”.

4. Human rights:
(a) Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
(b) Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people and other special rapporteurs.

5. Half-day discussion on North America.

6. Comprehensive dialogue with six United Nations agencies and funds.

7. Future work of the Permanent Forum, including issues of the Economic and Social Council and emerging issues.

8. Draft agenda for the tenth session of the Permanent Forum.

9. Adoption of the report of the Permanent Forum on its ninth session.

Pre-registration

** Attention - New Logistical Information about the Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues**

Due to extensive renovations to United Nations hedaquarters , the ninth session of the UNPFII will take place in a newly constructed temporary building, located on the north lawn of the United Nations grounds in New York at 1st Avenue and 46th street. The capacity of the meeting rooms in the temporary space is smaller than that of the conference building where previous session have been held. For this reason, it is possible that not all observers to the session, including indigenous peoples organizations and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC, will be permitted inside the building at the same time. The Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is currently seeking arrangements that will minimize any inconvenience to UNPFII participants. Further information will be made available on this website as it becomes available.

Registration for indigenous peoples' organizations, NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status and academic institutions wishing to attend the 9th Session of the UNPFII as observers is now open. Please click on the appropriate link below to be taken to the online registration page

Indigenous peoples organizations attending for the first time

Academic institutions attending for the first time

-Indigenous peoples' organizations and academic institutions that have previously attended UNPFII sessions, and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC
You must sign in to the online system using your assigned username and password (use the "Click here to Sign In" in the upper right corner once you reach the website) then click on the link "Invitations" that appears on the left side menu bar. You will then see the link to the forum event where you can pre-register, designate your representatives and download your letter of invitation. In case you cannot use the online pre-registration system for any technical reason, please get in touch with us.

For any additional questions on the registration process, please contact Talei Cama (cama@un.org).

Information for National Human Rights Institutions wishing to attend the 9th Session of the UNPFII as observers.

Registration for Side Events

Please click here to register. Please note that due to the renovation of UN Headquarters, there is limited space for side events this year. For this reason side event organizers are strongly advised to submit joint proposals for side events.

Practical Information for Participants

Frequently asked questions on NGO participation:
[Accreditation and Pre-registration]
[Participation]
[Submission of written statements]

Handbook for Participants at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

The handbook is available in English, Spanish, French and Russian.

Logistical information (accommodation, transportation and other useful information) -please note that some of this information may become outdated.

DOCUMENTS

Submitted by the Secretariat of UNPFII

From the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations

From Governments

Submitted by NGOs

Online Petition: I Respect Human Rights- Human Rights Day 2009

Takahi Guaitiao (Greetings Relatives): December 10, 2009, marked the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global enunciation of human rights. These are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. Examples of these rights include but are not limited to the right to life, the right to economic, social and cultural rights, the right to water, the right to food, and the right to education.

Today, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) launched a petition called “I Respect Human Rights! Human Rights Day 2009”. The petition reads:

"On the occasion of Human Rights Day, 10 December 2009, I affirm my commitment to the universal human rights, including the human rights of Indigenous Peoples as embodied in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

Please sign the petition online at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/IPRights/petition.html

Please share with others in your network. Haho (Thank you)

OAS - Record of the Current Status of the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Dear civil society representative,

On behalf of Dr. Irene Klinger, Director of the Department of International Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS), we would like to share with you the document GT/DADIN/doc.334/08 rev. 5 "Record of the Current Status of the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

This document is the result of the Twelfth Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus by the Working Group to Prepare the Draft Declaration of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, which took place November 30 - December 2, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

In this meeting, the OAS Member States considered the following topics: right to belong to an indigenous people; systems of knowledge, language, and communication; education; indigenous family; transfers and relocations; collective rights; health; rights of association, assembly, and freedom of expression and thought; indigenous law and jurisdiction; and contributions of the indigenous legal and organizational systems.

For more information about the Twelfth Meeting of Negotiations in the Quest for Points of Consensus and the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit the Website of the Working Group to Prepare the Draft Declaration http://www.oas.org/consejo/CAJP/Indigenous.asp.

Sincerely,

Department of International Affairs
Secretariat for External Relations
Organization of American States

United Nations - Invitation Letter to the 9 Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 19-30 April 2010

Division for Social Policy and Development
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Room DC2-1324, 2 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017
Tel: (212) 963-3175  Fax: (212) 963-3062  E-mail: ngoran@un.org

Dear Friend,

On behalf of Mr. Jean-Pierre Gonnot, Acting Director, Division for Social Policy and Development (DPSD), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA,. I have the pleasure to inform you that the Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will be convened from 19 to 30 April 2010 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Due the structural work relating to the United Nations premises at Headquarters referred to as the Capital Master Plan, no specific information on the venue of the session can be provided at this time. Further information will be available at the website of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in due time: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_ninth.html

The special theme of the ninth session will be “Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity; articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. The session will also include discussions on North America and a number of ongoing priorities and themes, as well as an in-depth dialogue with several United Nations agencies. Further information on the ninth session is available at the following link: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_ninth.html

Should your organization wish to send one or more representatives to the forum, please provide the names(s) of your designated representative (s) to us by using the online pre-registration system through the following link no later than 22 March 2010: http://www.un.org/ecosoc/csonet. You must sign in to the online system using your assigned username and password (use the "Click here to Sign In" in the upper right corner once you reach the website) then click on the link "Invitations" that appears on the left side menu bar. You will then see the link to the forum event where you can pre-register, designate your representatives and download your letter of invitation. In case you cannot use the online pre-registration system for any technical reason, please get in touch with us.

For further questions regarding pre-registration, please contact Mr. Yao Ngoran, Chief, Civil Society and Outreach Unit, Division for Social Policy and Development, DC2-1324, United Nations, NY 10017, fax: (212) 963-3062, Email: ngoran@un.org.

Representatives of organizations in need of a visa to enter the United States should note that United States Consulates request that visa applications be submitted three months prior to the opening of the session. Therefore we encourage representatives of interested non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous peoples’ organizations (IPOs) and academic institutions to submit their visa applications as early as possible, preferably before 19 January 2010.

NGO representatives in possession of annual group-passes are also encouraged to pre-register using the Online Pre-registration System. Pre-registration allows for a proper planning of the session. This process should be completed by 22 March 2010, one month before the opening of the session. It should also be understood that the costs of travel and daily subsistence, arrangements for travel, accommodation and visas are the responsibility of participants.

For additional information regarding your participation at this session of the Permanent Forum, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Yao Ngoran at ngoran@un.org.

Yours sincerely,
Elsa Stamatopoulou
Chief, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues