Suriname: UN expert calls for further dialogue on indigenous and tribal land issues

PARAMARIBO – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, called for further contact between the authorities and the indigenous and tribal peoples of Suriname, and reiterated his readiness to assist with efforts to advance their land and resource rights.

“I look forward to continued dialogue with the Government and with the indigenous and tribal peoples of Suriname, in order to provide further guidance on the practical steps necessary to move forward with securing indigenous and tribal land rights, in accordance with relevant international treaties to which Suriname is a part,” Mr. Anaya said at the end of the first visit ever to the country by a human rights independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council.

The Special Rapporteur’s mission from 13-16 March took place in the context of Suriname’s implementation of the 2007 judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of the Saramaka People v. Suriname.

“I believe that this visit was very fruitful and constituted unique and valuable opportunity for dialogue and consultation with indigenous and tribal peoples of Suriname and the Suriname Government,” Mr. Anaya said. “I congratulate all of them for their cooperation and openness in engaging with my mandate, in order to meet the many challenges existing in the country related to the domestic implementation of international human rights norms.”

During the brief visit, the Special Rapporteur met in Paramaribo with representatives of the Government, including the Vice President; the Ministers of Regional Development; Justice and Police; Foreign Affairs; Natural Resources; Land and Physical Planning; and Labour, Technology and Environment; as well as others from the Council of Ministers.

The UN independent expert also held meetings with the indigenous organization VIDS, and Maroon representatives of VGS, the 12 Okanisi clan, the Matawaí clan, the Paramakan community and the Bureau Moiwana, as well as with the UN Country Team.

The Special Rapporteur expressed his thanks to all those that assisted in preparations for the visit, especially representatives at the Ministry of Regional Development, for their invaluable help in organizing and facilitating all aspects of the visit.

ENDS

S. James Anaya (USA) is a Regents Professor and the James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of Arizona (United States). He was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples effective May 2008. The mandate was created in 2001 by the then Commission on Human Rights, and was renewed most recently in 2010 by the Human Rights Council for a three-year period.

Implementation of the ‘new conservation paradigm’

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1101/S00248/implementation-of-the-new-conservation-paradigm.htm

International Union for the Conservation of Nature to review and advance implementation of the ‘new conservation paradigm’, focusing on rights of indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples’ representatives met with Chairs of Commissions of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other conservation organizations, for a high-level dialogue during the Sharing Power conference, in Whakatane, New Zealand, on January 13th, 2011. IUCN agreed to review the implementation of resolutions related to indigenous peoples taken at the 4th World Conservation Congress (WCC4) in 2008, in Barcelona, Spain, and to advance their implementation.

These resolutions, along with the Durban Action Plan and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), are often termed as the “new conservation paradigm”. They are crucial for ensuring that conservation practices respect the rights of indigenous peoples and their full and effective participation in policy and practice. Unfortunately, the actual implementation of these decisions in support of indigenous peoples has been very patchy. The information gathered by the IUCN review processes will feed into its 2013-2016 Programme, to be discussed and adopted in September 2012 in Jeju, Republic of Korea.

Specifically, the meeting participants agreed that IUCN will:

• Reinforce its multi-level process (encompassing international, regional, national and local levels) to assess and advance the implementation of the “new conservation paradigm”. This process would focus on specific WCC4 resolutions relevant to indigenous peoples.

• Implement pilot assessments of protected areas at the local level that should be carried out by teams composed of indigenous peoples, IUCN national and international offices, government officials and other relevant actors. The pilot assessments should specify recommendations to address gaps between the observed practices and the ‘new conservation paradigm’. The findings will be reported in national workshops, which will then explore ways to implement the recommendations from the assessments. The assessments would also bring examples of successful projects and best practices to the international community.

• Carry out a review of the implementation of each of the WCC4 resolutions relevant to indigenous peoples, based on information from commissions and regional and global thematic programmes. This review will identify gaps and make recommendations to address them, which will be included in IUCN’s 2013-2016 Programme.

• Submit reports on these matters to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the CBD.

• Spread awareness of WCC4 resolutions on indigenous peoples to all national IUCN offices.

• Improve the coordination between regional and national IUCN offices and indigenous peoples’ organizations.

Furthermore:

• The IUCN Council should be reminded that it was directed by a WCC4 resolution to form a task force to examine the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to every aspect of the IUCN Programme (including Commissions’ Mandates), policies and practices, and to make recommendations for its implementation.

Udom Charoenniyomphrai, from the Inter Mountain Peoples’ Education and Culture in Thailand Association (IMPECT), said, “The agreements reached in the meeting are good. We are now hoping that they will be effectively implemented.”

Further Information:

• Press Release: Sharing power - the end of 'fortress' conservation? January 10th, 2011 (Available in English and Spanish): http://www.forestpeoples.org/topics/participatory-resource-mapping/news/2011/01/press-release-sharing-power-end-fortress-conserva

• Forest Peoples Programme and indigenous partners’ updates from IUCN CEESP Sharing Power are available at: http://www.forestpeoples.org/special-blogs/iucn-ceesp-sharing-power

• Briefing for Media - Securing indigenous peoples' rights in conservation in Suriname, January 10th, 2011: http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/news/2011/01/Media_Briefing_Suriname_Securing_IP_Rights_in_Conservation_Sharing_Power_Jan_2011_Eng-revMO_FM.pdf

• Briefing for Media - Securing indigenous peoples’ rights in conservation: A Review of South West Uganda - http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/news/2011/01/Media_briefing_Uganda_Securing_IP_Rights_in_Conservation_Sharing_Power_Jan_2011_Eng.pdf

• Briefing for Media - Indigenous peoples and protected areas in Thailand: A Review - http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/news/2011/01/Media%20briefing_Thailand_IPs_and_PAs_Sharing_%20Power_2011_Eng.pdf

• Other documents on this topic can be found at: http://www.forestpeoples.org/topics/environmental-governance/international-processes

Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship

The Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship is sponsored by Conservation International to create opportunities for leaders and scholars from indigenous and traditional peoples’ communities and organizations to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and the threats to ecosystems and biodiversity that are affecting their lands, communities and livelihoods. The program will focus on supporting the fellow’s research and demonstration of the contribution of traditional knowledge in adapting to climate change and maintaining healthy ecosystems, and how that knowledge can work with science and new technologies to influence policy and action.

Fellowship details

This year-long fellowship will be offered to four candidates. Two fellowships will be awarded within the topic of Biodiversity, and two within the topic of Climate Change.

The fellows will design research projects and produce reports about the potential contributions of their communities/organizations to biodiversity conservation plans and policies and strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each research project must incorporate the contribution of traditional knowledge and practices. To accomplish this research project, each fellow will work directly with her/his own community or local indigenous /traditional organization.

Who can apply?

1. Applicants must be a member of an indigenous/traditional community and/or organization.


2. Fellows must choose between two categories: Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Change. Furthermore, each topic is geographically specific.

a. For individuals interested in Biodiversity Conservation: Applicants should focus proposals in the following areas: management of community conserved lands/indigenous territories and/or community managed marine areas, traditional knowledge, or development of community protocols for issues of access and benefit sharing. Applicants will be considered from the following countries: Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa, Fiji, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

b. For Individuals interested in Climate Change, applicants should focus proposals in the following two areas:

· Adaptation: Applicants should focus on community efforts to engage in adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches (including the value and needs of ecosystems in decision making) and participatory processes. This could include looking at how to integrate traditional and local knowledge and scientific information to understand climate risk and potential adaptation actions. Applications for the Adaptation Fellowship will be considered from the following countries: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Madagascar, Suriname, Guyana, Colombia, Indonesia, Samoa, and Philippines.

· Mitigation: Applications should focus on role of forest in mitigating climate change, traditional knowledge in maintaining forest and/or the contributions of traditional knowledge to reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation. Applications will be considered from the following countries: Indonesia, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Suriname.

3. There are no age or gender limitations to this fellowship.

4. You must be flexible and able to travel nationally and internationally.

The deadline for this application is June 11th, 2010. Please e-mail the application below to indigenousfellow@conservation.org along with your CV, a nomination letter from your sponsoring community/organization, and a letter explaining your interest in the fellowship and how your work will contribute to the community.

Download the application:

Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship Application Form in English (DOC - 47 KB)

Beca de Conservación para Líderes Indígenas Formulario de Solicitud en Español (DOC - 51 KB)

Indigenous Peoples of Suriname Speak Out on UN Declaration

Paramaribo, 10 August 2007

To: the President of the Republic of Suriname
Drs R.R. Venetiaan
Paramaribo - Suriname

Esteemed President,

By means of this letter, the Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname (OIS) requests your attention for the following:

The day of August 9 is declared by the government to be “National Day of Indigenous People” and is at the same time declared a national holiday.

Assigning this day to the original inhabitants of Suriname – known to you all as Indigenous, called Indians before – was applauded very much by us, as an organization that attends to the interests of this group.

We have experienced this gesture towards the Indigenous community as a very positive one and have seen this in the light of recognition of our people within the Surinamese population.

But, to our big surprise we have learned only a few days after the proclamation of this day, both in the national media and also from our international contacts, that the state of Suriname has voted against acceptance of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the consultation round at the United Nations.

Because of this act of the state of Suriname, which works against the rights of the Indigenous Peoples all over the world but especially against the rights of the Indigenous People in Suriname, we as representatives of the Indigenous People in Suriname must conclude that we, Indigenous People, still will have a very long way to go in order to go get recognition of the rights and titles to our lands, etc.

The OIS sees this act of the state of Suriname as a failure to appreciate the position of the Indigenous People, because the state of Suriname being also the only country in the western hemisphere that still has not ratified ILO Convention 169.

On behalf of the Indigenous People of Suriname and also on behalf of our Indigenous brothers and sisters everywhere else in the world, we want to call on you as President to take case that Suriname will vote in favor of the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” during the vote on September 3 in the United Nations.

Since you have expressed in your speech in Palm Garden on the 9th of August 2007, that you really recognize the Indigenous People, we as Indigenous People would really appreciate if you would convert your words in this respect into deeds.

The Organization of Indigenous People in Suriname,
Leon Ericson Wijngaarde
(President)