Small Island Developing States Conference: Last Day to Register

Dear colleagues,

The Third Conference on Small Island Developing States, taking place between 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa, is rapidly approaching.

Preceding the meeting, four Pre-Conference Forums will take place in select locations in Apia from 28-31 August 2014. The Pre-Conference Forums will be held outside of the UN security perimeter and therefore don’t require accreditation to the SIDS Conference. Further information on these activities is available on the SIDS website: www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1567

Participation in the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Forum, which will take place on Thursday, 28 (evening) and Friday, 29 August 2014, is subject to registration. Today is the last day to register - if you are planning on attending, you must fill out this form. More information on the Forum can be found here.

We would also like to use this opportunity to remind representatives of organizations that are accredited with the United Nations and plan to attend the official Conference to register here. Conference registration for Major Groups and other stakeholders’ representatives will close on Monday, 4 August 2014.

Warm regards,
Ms. Martina Muller
Major Groups Program
Communications & Outreach - UN DESA/DSD

Update on SIDS Conference; Indigenous Peoples Major Group Nominations

The participation of stakeholders from civil society and other non-state actors is organized according to the major groups structure articulated in Agenda 21. Representatives from major groups interested in participating as observers in the SIDS Conference and its preparatory process are required to be accredited to the United Nations and register accordingly. Accredited? Pre-register by 1 August 2014

Indigenous Peoples interested in attending the Conference should send nominations to Major Group focal point Roberto Borrero at roberto@treatycouncil.org before July 7. 

For more information visit http://www.sids2014.org

UCTP Letter to the President of the General Assembly John William Ashe

01/27/2014


To: H.E. Ambassador John William Ashe, Antigua and Barbuda,
President, United Nations General Assembly

Via email & hand-delivered

Re: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP)

Takahi (Greetings) Excellency: On behalf of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP), I am writing to you with great concern regarding the preparations for the High Level Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. The UCTP is an indigenous Caribbean regional organization extending through the Major and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Diaspora. The UCTP is a member of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) and an affiliate of the International Indian Treaty Council, an ECOSOC accredited indigenous, non-governmental organization representing indigenous peoples of North, South, and Central America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

The UCTP is particularly concerned with your hesitancy to reconfirm the appointment of Mr. John Henriksen (Sami) as the Indigenous co-coordinator (or co-facilitator) on an equal basis with a State representative in that role. The appointment of an indigenous co-coordinator in this process finds its precedent set by the President of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly H.E. Nassir AbdulazizAl‐Nasser (Qatar) in early 2012. With this in mind, we respectfully call upon you to reconfirm Mr. Henriksen in this role, which is a decision consistent with the standards articulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

 Please note that after consultation with our regional leadership and allies, the UCTP can only support the WCIP process if there is equal representation of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, please also note that should the WCIP move forward without equal representation, Indigenous Peoples who form part of the UCTP will call for the WCIP to be canceled.

In closing, Caribbean Governments are an historic ally to Indigenous Peoples since at least the UN International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on through the process to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We trust that we can continue to count on the region to move progressively toward fulfilling the goal of “Partnership in Action” as promoted by the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Oma bahari (With respect),

Roger Hernandez-Moyet,
Board Secretary & Borikén Liaison

CC: UCTP Board & membership; Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples; Caribbean Amerindian Development Organization; International Indian Treaty Council; Global Coordinating Committee of the WCIP; Latin American and Caribbean Regional Caucus to the WCIP

Reminder: Call for submissions on indigenous peoples' languages and culture

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Call for submissions on indigenous peoples' languages and culture

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) is calling for submissions on the role of languages and culture in the protection and promotion of the rights and identity of indigenous peoples, its current mandated study in accordance with Human Rights Council Resolution 18/8 (September 2011), from:

• indigenous individuals and peoples and/or their representatives
• non-state actors including non-governmental organisations
• national human rights institutions
• any other relevant stakeholders

Submissions will need to be submitted by 17 February 2012 to be taken into account in the Expert Mechanism's study, a draft of which will be finalised in early April 2012 in preparation for the EMRIP's fifth session in July 2012. Please email submissions to Claire Charters at the following email address: ccharters@ohchr.org.

For more information, please see the website of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/EMRIP/Pages/EMRIPIndex.aspx

Indigenous Peoples plan OAS Summit Participation

UCTP Taino News - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC), have initiated a meeting to discuss the upcoming 3rd Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas (3rd ILSA). The primary goal of the 3rd ILSA is to precede and inform the Organization of American States’ 5th Summit of the Americas to be held in Trinidad.

Indigenous leaders from the Americas will participate in this event, including women, youth and Elder leaders from across hemisphere. A secondary goal is to continue the policy dialogue initiated in the first two Indigenous Summits and move this dialogue forward to focus on implementation of the measures necessary for the previous Declarations and Plans of Actions to be fully realized.

A preliminary ILSA Planning Committee meeting is scheduled to take place February 27-28 in Ottawa, Ontario, to be preceded by a teleconference call in the very near future.

The planning committee meeting will be co-hosted by Grand Chief Edward John, AFN and President Beverley Jacobs, NWAC.

Among the confirmed participants for the planning meeting is Roberto Mukaro Borrero of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP). Commenting on the meeting Borrero noted “as this international summit is taking place in Trinidad, this is an historic opportunity to increase the visibility of Caribbean Indigenous Peoples.”

Borrero also noted “Trinidad and Tobago is home to a recognized indigenous community and is the current Chair of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP). It is more than appropriate for this reality to be highlighted before the international community who will be gathered at this event.”

The 5th Summit of the Americas is taking place from April 17-19, 2009 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

UCTPTN 02.25.2009

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